Death Note 2020 Rebirth Part 1
by SherrieJ1010
Summary: The shinigami, Belphagor gives his death note to a Kira worshipper, Taro. Feeling blessed, Kira returns on a massive scale. With more Shinigami coming to the human world, World War III looms on the horizon as six humans get their hands on a death note; six death notes, six inhabited continents, six owners all using the notebooks for their own motives. L's work is far from over.


**Death Note 2020- Part 1**

**2020**

Shinigami Realm; three shinigami are bored and sitting around doing a whole lot of nothing. Another shinigami approaches them.

"What was that? You actually want to meet him?" The shinigami, Deridovely says.

"That's right."

"Why waste your time talking to him?" The shinigami, Zellogi sees no point.

"Yeah, it's not like he'll tell you anything interesting." The shinigami, Gukku concurs.

"Forget it, it's pointless." Deridovely reiterates the point.

"Shut up and answer the question!" he slams his fish bone staff on the dry, cracking ground. The holes in his skull where his eyes should be glow red. "I know he's around here somewhere. I just want to talk to that shinigami. I heard he had some fun in the human world."

They point to a tall structure in the distance. Grey and dead, it resembles a tree of life or more like a tree of death in this case. This is where the shinigami, Ryuk resides. The shinigami with the fish bone staff tied to his back, red scarf wrapped around his head that holds back his spiked dirty blonde hair, blue crystal googles, worn jacket with undershirt, faded jeans and boots walks up the stone stairs to Ryuk. Still looking pretty human besides being a walking skeleton, this shinigami is a new one. Ryuk sits on a rock looking at the desolate world that is the Shinigami Realm. He turns around feeling a presence watching him. His eyes glow red, but as he sees the visitor, they turn yellow. Blue flames in rock torches light the area.

"Huh? Who are you?

"I've been looking for you. I want to hear your story."

"Story?"

"I'll make it worth your while." He throws Ryuk an apple although this one is from their world which isn't as good as the ones from the human world. He snickers as he holds the apple in his hand.

"Oh well, I would have like one that was a little more juicy." He eats it anyways.

"I want to go down to the human world. I'm sick of this place, it's so boring. I heard that the human world is a lot more interesting."

"Well, it's no use complaining about how boring it is here. Now, if you were thinking of doing something stupid like changing the human world, that would be interesting. I was getting bored anyway, I'll humor you." The shinigami is surprised. "Take it as my appreciation for that lousy apple. I'll tell you the story of the human I once knew; the one who tried to change the world and become God."

A supernatural notebook became the "worst murder weapon in the history of mankind"; quite simply one of the more complicated methods used to kill but the most demoralizing and deceiving. Just picture someone's face and write down their name and they die in 40 seconds. You can write down the circumstances around their death to cover it up or to lead the authorities astray, but you need a name and their face. A high school student in Japan found a death note and used it to kill the major criminals of the world, decreasing the global crime rate dramatically. No crime is worth your life. The world became submissive and paranoid, in constant fear of being judge by an unknown force. The only person brave enough to stand up to Kira was the world's greatest detective, L. He and his two successors, Near and Mello were able to bring Kira, the "crazy mass murderer" to justice and disposed of the death notes the shinigami brought into the human world. It has been seven years since the death of Light Yagami and the disappearance of the Death Note. Crime is on the rise again and the world continues on like he never existed. However, the legacy of Light Yagami-Kira lives on. There are those who no longer fear being judged by Kira and continue to commit crimes and there are those who live honest lives and hope for Kira's return to cleanse the world once again. The world's greatest detective, Nate 'Near' River is currently the new L. He knows that there are more death notes out there than the ones he burned. He also knows that he can't prevent another shinigami , a God of Death from dropping more death notes into our world and causing even more chaos than before. As always, his deductions are correct. When a human is granted immense power, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Ryuk stares at the name in his death note, Light Yagami. As promised, when Light no longer eased his boredom, Ryuk would be the one to kill him.

"No Light, you weren't actually a God back then. You were something else." He looks up from his death note over to the entryway.

"Huh? Uh, he left." He snickers to himself and turns his head to the gray cloudy sky. A light shines in the small clearing of the clouds. "Go on, why not give it a shot. If you're lucky, some unbelievable guy might just pick up your note book. Maybe you'll see something you will never forget for the rest of your life." He stares into the light. "That's what I think. Wouldn't you agree, Light?"

Mantua, Italy 2020. A class of fifth graders sits in their history class. Today's topic is American History. Living in Italy, there is little interest in another country's history, especially when they are still trying to learn their own. The students in this classroom are mostly international students. It is clear what continent the students are from because they sit with their people, talking to each other in their native tongue. Many are from other parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, but none from The United States. Most doodle in their notebooks, pass notes, fall asleep or even sneak in a little snack while the teacher is lecturing. Two boys have their textbooks open but work on their math homework that is due in less than an hour. For the one boy, Lucca math comes easy to him so he can wait until the last minute to do it. As for the other boy, Taro math is a challenge and saves it for last; he doesn't care if he finishes it or not.

The teacher writes a quote on the board in Italian, "Quando il sangue nelle vene torna al mare e la terra nelle vostre ossa torna a terra, forse allora ti ricorderai che questa terra non appartiene a te, è lei che appartiene a questa terra." She asks Taro to translate the quote to English. This is an easy task for Taro to do since he can speak three languages fluently: Italian, English and Japanese. He goes to the white board and says and writes the quote in English,

"When the blood in your veins returns to the sea and the earth in your bones returns to the ground, perhaps then you will remember that this land does not belong to you, it is you who belongs to this land."

"Very good, Taro! Now, can anyone tell me what this means?" The kids look around the room at each other, all waiting for the other person to volunteer. Lucca stands up and takes the lead. From his desk he explains,

"The Native Americans were fed up with the colonials claiming land for themselves and using violence to get it. In reality, fighting for land that belongs to no one is pointless because when you die you will return to the earth from whence you came. Earth will keep on living and you will be nothing but a pile of bones in the dirt."

He sits back down and continues to do his homework. The children look away from him feeling uncomfortable around him. Some whisper to each other calling him, "weird", "freak", "creeper" in their native languages. Taro headed back to his seat while Lucca gave his answer. When he sits down an Italian girl whispers to him, "I'd stay away from him newbie. He's got a couple screws loose. Let's just say it runs in his family." Taro doesn't reply. He stares at Lucca as he finishes his homework, intrigued by his answer.

"Thank you, Lucca for that insightful, pretty morbid answer. And yes, Native Americans are very spiritual, nature-oriented people. They believe that every living thing has a unique spirit with its own energy that needs to be heard and memories that need to be collective and common with their ancestors. Like many people, they also have their own views on a supreme being, life, death, the afterlife and even resurrection. For your homework, I want you all to write a short paper on your views about your beliefs be they influenced by your family, the world around you or the things you've witnessed."

"Like ghosts?" An African boy wonders.

"If you believe in such things then yes. Head off to lunch and we will pick up with math when you all get back. Dismissed."

The children grabbed their bagged lunches and headed outside to eat. It's a cool autumn day but it was sunny so they didn't mind. Many Italian schools usually end their day at lunchtime and have school on Saturdays, but this school for international students goes until dinner time with Saturday night classes for review. Most of the children rush out of the room while Lucca takes his time gathering his things. Taro stays in his seat wanting to eat his lunch alone. Lucca walks up to the whiteboard and writes in big red letters, 'KIRA'. He sets his math homework on the teacher's desk.

"That's my essay. Kira is what I believe in. See you on Monday."

With all his things in his backpack he heads home. It's a Friday and the kids want to enjoy as much of the weekend as they can, so some follow suit and leave school early. The teacher doesn't mind because she wants relax after a long week with this "special" group of students. Taro shoves the rest of his PB&J sandwich into his mouth and runs out the classroom to catch up with Lucca. He throws his math homework on the teacher's desk as he leaves. Lucca isn't a fast walker so Taro catches up with him quickly.

"Hey, Lucca! Are you heading home?"

"Yes, what of it."

"You can just leave when you want to?"

"Yeah. Just because my aunt put me in this stupid school doesn't mean I need to be in school longer than the average Italian."

"Yeah, this would never happen in Japan." Taro runs into Lucca as he stops abruptly.

"What do you really want?"

"I want to show you something, but we need to be out of sight." Lucca sees a narrow side street on their left and Taro digs through his bag. He takes out a laptop bag with a lock on the zipper. He takes his left shoe off and shakes his sock. A key falls out.

"What are you hiding?"

"Give me a second." He fiddles with the lock, struggling to unlock it with the key. Lucca is tired of waiting and stomps on the lock as well as Taro's hand. The lock pops open and Lucca opens the bag. His eyes lighten up and a big smile goes across his face. He examines the note book. On its cover it says, 'Death Note'. He opens it and reads the inside cover titled, 'How to use it'.

The human whose name is written in this note shall die. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected. If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds. The human who uses the notebook can neither go to Heaven nor Hell. The human who touches the Death Note can recognize the image and voice of its original owner, a god of death, even if the human is not the owner of the note. The person in possession of the Death Note is possessed by a god of death, its original owner, until they die. A god of death can extend their own life by putting a name on their own note, but humans cannot. A god of death cannot be killed even if stabbed in his heart with a knife or shot in the head with a gun. However, there are ways to kill a god of death, which are not generally known to the god of death. One page taken from the Death Note, or even a fragment of the page, contains the full effects of the note. If you lose the Death Note or have it stolen, you will lose its ownership unless you retrieve it within 490 days. The individuals who lose the ownership of the Death Note will also lose their memory of the usage of the Death Note. This does not mean that he will lose all the memory from the day he owned it to the day he loses possession, but means he will only lose the memory involving the Death Note. Only a god of death that has passed on their Death Note to a human is able to kill the owner of the Death Note. There are male and female gods of death, but it is neither permitted, nor possible for them to have sexual relations with humans. The gods of death also cannot have sex with each other. The use of the Death Note in the human world sometimes affects other humans' lives or shortens their original life span, even though their names are not actually written in the Death Note itself. In these cases, no matter the cause, the god of death sees only the original lifespan and not the shortened lifespan. All humans, without exception, will eventually die. After they die, the place they go to is MU (nothingness). Once dead, they can never come back to life.

"So many rules and I bet that's not even half of them. Is this a real? I hear there are notebooks like this appearing all over the world since rumors spread about how Kira killed all those criminals."

"Oh it's real. Gods of Death do exist. Can you not see him?" Lucca looks around and sees nothing. Taro points to the sky and Lucca looks to the roof tops. Sitting on one of the ledges is a shinigami, the same one that sought out Ryuk. He jumps down to them landing right in front of a shocked Lucca.

"The name's Belphagor."

Just the night before, Taro was watching adult cartoons instead of doing his math homework. Being so late at night, his room is pitch-black and the only light is coming from his TV. His blanket covers his whole body. The only part of his body exposed are his feet and eyes. Wall scrolls of anime and videogame characters occupy all the wall space in his room. He put his dresser in front of his window to block some of the sunlight from waking him up in the morning. Clothes clean and dirty lie on his floor, bed and hang out of the closet. On his nightstand is a glass of water and a half-eaten margherita pizza. Zoned out in the TV, he jumps at the sound of the telephone ringing. He knows who it is and turns down his TV and leaves the door cracked to hear the conversation. In the living room is the man who takes care of him, his mother's boyfriend, Stephan "Gevanni" Loud.

Thirty-five year old detective, he once was part of the Special Provisions for Kira, better known as SPK. He worked under Near during the Kira investigation seven years ago. He tailed Teru Mikami, a man suspected of being Kira, to learn more about how the death note works and the locations of the other death notes while trying to determine where the real ones were. He was able to tamper with the death notes by creating fake pages and a complete replica that prevented Teru from killing everyone when confronted. Other than Near and Mello, he was one of the major players in executing the capture of Kira by getting Mikami to expose Light to be "God". Now living in Italy, his work is more local than international. He is the primary care-taker of Taro while his mother is away on business trips which are pretty often.

"Good Morning, beautiful. How are you? That's good. No, he's asleep, I think. He thinks I don't know, but I do. I was his age once. You know I don't mind. He's a good kid. Believe me, if they need me they will call me. I just don't want him to have to move and switch schools again. Yeah, school's not so kind to transfer students… until college maybe. Hey, I have a serious question. What are you wearing right now? That sexy shear baby blue lingerie? I know you too well. Yes, I'm wearing my briefs tonight. You need to hurry up and get home, it's been too long. I miss waking up to your smile and kissing you every morning."

"Gross." Knowing where this conversation can go, he opens his door to make sure Stephan know he's awake. The last thing he wants on his mind is his mom and her boyfriend's phone sex conversation. He grabs his cup off his nightstand and heads to the kitchen.

"Hey, Taro! You're awake. Do you want to talk to your mom?"

"No, she always calls this late just to talk to you. I'm getting me some water."

"Well seeing that you're never asleep or studying at this time, I wonder why you don't pick up the phone knowing she will call."

"I have nothing to say to her." He slams his door and finishes watching his show. He hears tapping on his window and thinks it's a tree branch hitting it. He turns up his TV to drown out the noise but he can still hear the tapping which is getting louder and closer. He slowly gets out his bed with his blanket still wrapped around his body trying to find the source of the sound. Standing in front of his window, the shadow of the tree outside is there but no branches are touching. A big thud is heard behind him, he freezes in place. Turning around cautiously he scans his room to see a black notebook sitting on the ground in front of him. The back cover is facing up.

"Where did you come from?" He bends down and picks it up. As he raises his head he finally sees the thing that dropped it. He lets out a terrifying scream.

"How did you, when did you get there? Who are you?" He falls back onto his dresser causing all his hygiene products to fall off the top.

"I am the shinigami that owns that Death Note you just picked up. Now you are its owner. The name's Belphagor." Taro rubs his eyes to make sure he isn't dreaming, but no matter how hard or how many times he rubs them, this god of death remains standing in the middle of his room.

"So they are real! And this, this is Kira's power. Did he wish for me to have it?"

"More are coming to this world. A war is coming for you humans; six death notes, six continents all fighting for power over mankind. You're the chosen one for this continent and now you have accepted." Taro smiles and holds the death note to his chest, cradling it.

"Father, I will not let you down. I will create the new world, the vision you had for this world before I was even born. I know you're watching, God, Kira. Let me carry out your will."

"What an interesting name, shinigami. And so, Kira returns."

"Will you carry out his will with me? I can see it in your eyes, you worship Kira, you think like Kira and most importantly, you know the truth behind death. A war is coming over land that doesn't belong to us, so why not dispose of those who fight over it." Lucca hands Taro his death note.

"Alright, Yagami. I will help you. And you're right, my eyes see a lot more than you know." He puts his hands on his shoulders and stares into his eyes intensely. "I have the eyes, Taro. I was born with Shinigami eyes, so I knew your name before our teacher told us." He steps back and looks above his head. "I don't see the numbers above your head like the rest. I don't know how long you or I will live, but I can kill anyone just by seeing their face now that we have the death note."

"Well, that's a relief. I guess I won't make that deal then, Belphagor. Ok, Lucca. Shall we begin?"

Belphagor snickers to himself as he follows them to a nearby café. As they walk through the streets, none but the two of them can see Belphagor. They get a table near the TV which is on the national news. Taro takes out his homework to cover the notebook while Lucca watches the TV to catch the faces of Italy's criminals.

"The price of peace is death."

**Bells**

Winchester, England 1992. Dong. Dong. Dong. A child is sitting on a bench looking out a window drawing pictures in the condensation from the cold winter morning. Overcast is across the area and the snow falls heavily but gracefully. Beyond the window is a church on the other side of the street. She draws a shining sun with a smiley face, a flowering tree with petals gliding in the wind as they fall off and a giant dove perched on top of the cross on the church's roof. She admires her masterpiece as a reflection approaches her from behind. It stops right behind her saying nothing. He turns his head sideways and examines her picture with eyes as black as night, bags under them to match. He bites down on the nail of his right thumb and sits on the ground with his knees to his chest, back hunched over and only his feet on the ground; somehow he manages to stay upright and balanced. His restless toes wiggle as he stares at the drawing and then at the girl.

"Well, what do you think?" She pats down on the cushioned bench inviting him to sit next to her instead of on the floor.

"A strange scene for such a gloomy day."

"I suppose. But do you not here the bells? They rang like this the day grandpa bought you here. Do you remember?"

Looking out the window she sees the memory. An elderly man stands at the gate to the house with a small boy who holds the man's hands tightly. The boy's eyes wander as the man opens the gate and fixate on a girl sitting by a window with her eyes close; she is smiling and twirling her long black hair as she is listening to the church bells. When she opens her eyes, her ice blue eyes meet his charcoal black eyes. Dong. Dong. Dong.

"I hear the bells. They sound louder than usual. Perhaps a funeral is going on. They sound sad."

"You're probably right. One day I will get married in that church. I will hear the bells chime. Ding-Ding-Ding." She sings.

The boy walks over to the window to see if his deduction was right and sure enough he sees a hearse and mourners dressed in black heading into the church. He blows on the window and in the fog he puts his hand print. She puts her hand on top of his and she can feel the shiver travel through his body. He faces her and gives her a big grin showing the first sign of emotion in his eyes.

"Promise me, you will be there. I want you to hear the happy bells too and not the sad ones."

He opens the window and a rush of cold air flies into the room. The girl jumps off the bench and wraps her blanket around her tightly. The boy, barefoot and wearing a nightshirt and underwear, jumps out the window into the snow and rolls around. The girl runs to the window and shouts to him, "Hey, get back in here. You'll catch pneumonia and die!"

He stands in the snow with his head to the sky letting snowflakes land on his face. The girl gets frustrated and puts on her winter gear to go get him. As she heads outside she grabs a jar of candy to bribe him with. She goes to where he is in the yard and makes a candy trail from him to the living room so he could dry off by the fireplace. She waits for him but after five minutes she heads back outside. Some of the other kids saw the candy trail which lead to the boy. Angered, he knocks down the other kids one by one by kicking them. They run away as the girl makes it to the front door. She sees them scatter as her grandfather's car pulls into the driveway. The boy turns around to see his father with another orphan, a boy shrouded in darkness with the only distinguishable feature being his light brown eyes and ash blonde hair. The man tells the boy to go inside with the girl while he gets a blanket and wraps it around the boy standing in the snow and carries him inside to the fireplace in his office.

Sitting in his office inside the mansion that is now a school for gifted children the older man and his friend sit in chairs near a fireplace while a boy sits on the rug in front of the fireplace facing away from them, soaking the rug as he dries off. He is working on a puzzle with no picture; just a white background and one-thousand puzzle pieces.

"I found this boy wandering the streets of Winchester five years ago. I felt like it was fate meeting him that day. Roger, this school is meant to be for gifted students and it could be much more. We could raise many more children like him to become the world's greatest detectives. Think about it, we already have a few children here who could rival him one day. Avon and Bran are already showing promise; they can become the first generation of L' successors."

"I know; I am amazed that he has solved some of the world's greatest cold cases and he hasn't even hit puberty yet. I fully agree with you, Watari that there are more children out there with the potential to be as great as him and bring to justice those who thought they could get away with murder."

"They can't hide from me. I am justice." The boy says by instinct without taking his focus off of his puzzle.

Famous inventor and founder of many orphanages throughout England including The Wammy House for gifted children; Quillish 'Watari' Wammy is the only one who was able to contact L directly. He found L abandoned on the streets of Winchester with his family nowhere to be seen. Taking him in as his own son, he quickly realized that he was a genius and could solve mysteries with ease. Raising him throughout the years he enabled him to solve crimes worldwide in secrecy. It wasn't too long before the world noticed L's presence and Watari assumed the role of L's full-time personal assistant, father and communicator leaving his childhood friend, Roger Ruvie to manage Wammy House and raise the potential L' successors.

1996. The girl sits on the seesaw in the springtime by herself. The younger children play kickball, hop-scotch or tag, forming their own groups usually based on age and gender. She looks around the playground and doesn't see the boys. She kicks up mud as she watches a dark cloud in the distance moves away and in its pale a double rainbow and sunny skies. Suddenly, the sky becomes closer and the ground further away. She grips the seesaw as she turns around to face the other seat.

"Bran, what are you doing?"

"Aren't I supposed to sit on the other side?"

"Well, yeah but not without me knowing! I could have fell off and got a concussion and ended up in a coma for the rest of my life!" He lets out a sinister laugh or more like a snicker.

"Your fascination with death is amusing. Since you're here, you've dealt with at least two so tell me, how did your parents die?"

"My mother died from a mysterious illness. As for my father, he died in a plane crash, according to grandpa. My father never knew I existed. It was my mother who found my paternal grandpa, Mr. Wammy before she died. That's how I ended up here."

"Wow and here I thought it would have been something more traumatic."

"Well, what's your story?"

"My father was beaten to death by a thug while my mother died in a train crash. I witnessed both and I survived both. Watari found me and now I am here."

"I'm surprised death doesn't scare you more."

"Life is scarier than death." Avon walks over to them. He was sitting in the sandbox and overheard their conversation. "Life is nothing but pressure to be the person people believe you to be and death is where you're finally free to be who you want to be." His unruly brown hair covers his barely visible green eyes.

"Avon, you're not even an adult yet and you feel that much pressure already!" She puts her hands on his shoulders while looking him in the eyes. He just hangs his head and looks away.

"I'll never be like L."

"That's our only purpose for being here, Avon. Unless you are 100% sure you can surpass him by being the world's greatest detective or criminal, you should move on. We're not kids anymore."

"Don't listen to him, Avon. I have faith in you."

"No, Bran's right." He removes her hands from his shoulders and walks away. The numbers above his head fluctuate.

"Bran, how can you say that?"

"A test."

"A test…his mental strength?"

"I don't know what the numbers mean. They don't count down or up; they just change to more random numbers every day. There must be a pattern to them though."

"What are you rambling about now?"

"My eyes. They see red numbers and names, but why? When I look at you I see 'Sani Wammy' and numbers under your name. But they are random and have no pattern to them."

"You're so weird, Bran. I'm heading back inside." He follows her but heads to his room. He looks in the mirror only to see his name, Bran Bradford, but no numbers.

2003. Avon Blacksmith and Bran Bradford were part of the first generation of L successors. From the many orphanages throughout England that Watari owned, children with the potential to take his place-should a criminal get the better of him- were given a single letter as their identity; Avon became 'A' and Bran became 'B'. Eventually a fourth generation came along and from it two boys became the best candidates. Nate 'N' River and Mihael 'M' Keehl were first in line to succeed L and since their arrival to Wammy's House they have been each other's biggest competition. They couldn't be more opposite; Nate is dependent on others yet detached from those around him, calm, quiet and methodical while Mihael is independent yet thrives on the acknowledgment by others, very emotional, loud and cunning. Throughout their childhood, Michael always felt he was second to Nate and develops an inferiority complex as his hatred for Nate grew. L never decided on who was his true successor, but Mihael knew he would have picked Nate.

L was a mentor from afar. He would video call the orphans and holds a question and answer sessions. Of course, he never revealed his face to any of them, besides the ones with a letter, so all there was on the computer screen was an Old English text of the letter 'L' in black with a white background.

Roger sits next to the computer screen on a chair facing the children. The younger children ask him many questions, while Mihael and Nate stay silent as Avon, Bran and Sani being veterans look on. Linda, a girl with a natural gift of drawing asks L what he is scarred of.

"Well I suppose, monsters. There are many types of monsters in this world. Monsters who will not show themsevles and cause trouble. Monsters who abduct children, monsters who devour dreams, monsters who suck blood and monsters who always tells lies." The children look around the room as if a monster is learking around.

"Lying monsters are a real nuscience. They are much more cunning than other monsters." Sani looks to the ground while holding a textbook for her criminal justice class.

"They pose as humans even though they have no understanding of a human heart." Bran looks around the room that's a sea of names and numbers.

"They eat even though they've never experienced hunger." Mihael snacks on a chocolate bar as he leans against a wall.

"They study even though they have no interest in academics." Nate sits on the floor in the back of the room in his pajamas an plays with a rubix cube.

"They seek friendship even thought they don't know how to love. If I were to encounter such a monster, I would likely be eaten by it because in truth, I am that monster." The children are silent as they take in the words that he says.

"Well, children, I think that's all the time we have for today. Thank you for the call, L. Give Watari my best regards." The screen cuts out and the children carry on with their day.

2004. Avon committed suicide. The pressures of trying to be L were too much for him to handle. He drowned himself in the bathtub and it was Bran who found his body. His name and the numbers were no longer above his head. His test had worked and he finally knows what the numbers is-lifespans. Not long after A's death, he leaves Wammy's House to figure out a way to equate the numbers above people's heads to how much time they have left before they die. Determined to surpass L by becoming the world's greatest criminal, he devises a string of serial killings known as the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases in the summer of 2005. Using his gift of the eyes, he is able to find people with the initials BB that he could kill on the day they were supposed to die anyways. He enlists the help of Naomi Misora and disguised as L helps her decipher the crime scenes, tricking her by leading her to every conclusion she comes up with from the clues he left at the crime scenes. However, Naomi found out that he would make himself the final victim so L could never solve the case with the murderer being a victim. Saving him from setting himself on fire the case is solved and he is thrown in jail where he dies of a heart attack, becoming one of Kira's first victims or judgments in late 2006.

2020. Sani Wammy is a defense attorney and is currently working and living in Japan. Growing up with L at Wammy's House, she knew she would find a career in law. Not much of a detective, she decided her role was in the court room than in the streets. At first, she wanted to put away the criminals L caught but the Kira case is what sparked her interest in becoming a defense attorney instead of a prosecutor. She had an idea that she could prevent those who just need some reform from going to jail and being killed by Kira one day. These people are the youth of the world and she has traveled all over the world being the top attorney wanted in juvenile court. She didn't take on many big cases at first, but she won every case she was on. Her biggest case would be the one where her track record would be tainted.

2012. Sani was in Japan when she was brought the case of Micca Abandonato. A teenage father accused of beating his girlfriend, Ren Moto to death, butchering her and kidnapping their son who he lost custody of. A warrant was out for his arrest when he was found in Milan, Italy. Sani was his defense attorney while the prosecuting attorney was an old fling of hers from law school, Teru Mikami. Sani truly believed that he did not commit the crime, but the public was on Teru's side.

"Where were you on the night Rena Moto was murdered?" Sani begins with.

"I was at the park by myself lying on a slide looking at the stars. I left my car parked ways away. When I decided to leave, I walked back to my car to find that the backseat was covered in blood; a butcher knife and shovel were thrown into my trunk too. Seconds later the cops arrived saying that they've been tailing my car all night and the trail of human remains leads to me. They handcuffed me and threw me in jail. When they identified the remains to be Rena's, there was no doubt in their minds that I murdered her."

"And did you, Micca Abandonato?"

"I did not murder Ren Moto."

"No further questions your honor." Sani sits own as Teru approaches.

"No witnesses to back up your story, your word against what the police witnessed. You have gotten into trouble before with blacking out behind the wheel of your car. Is it true that you lost custody of your child because you were too high to watch your two year old son wander out of your home and got hit by your car; the one you were driving at the time while trying to leave your child home alone?" Teru holds up a picture of the child with stitches along the underside of his left arm.

"Ren was supposed to be watching him! She blamed it all on me! She never told me that she left the house, even though she claimed that she did. I wasn't high either; I remember falling asleep on the basement couch because of the medication I was on. Her cousin claimed to have seen me get into my car and back out, but there is no proof that I was consciously or unconsciously did this."

"Well, your custody hearing says otherwise. No record of any medications prescribed to you. And now Ms. Ren Moto is not here to speak for herself on the matter because her remains were scattered across Tokyo in the parks where mother, fathers and their children go to spend quality time together. Did you or did you not drive to the park on June 25th and see her there with another man and your rage overcame you and you forced her into your car and butchered her?"

"No! I would never kill her over something as petty as that. I didn't even know she was seeing other people. The man the police saw her with and the one that a bystander saw drag her into my car was not me…someone who looked like it could be me."

"Not a conscious you anyways and so you admit you're capable of killing her if pushed enough?"

"I'm not a killer. I am the victim to a country that hates me, wanting love where none can be found, a child wrongfully taken from me and a girlfriend and her family who are manipulative!"

"And there it is, all the motives needed to kill her and flee the country with your son. No further questions your honor." Teru makes his way back to his seat as Sani approaches her client.

"Micca, is it true that before the custody hearing, her family was very adamant about the child staying in his mother's care in Japan and not in Italy with you?"

"Yes. On many occasions he male cousins would threaten me; telling me to go back to Italy while I still can in one piece. One of her cousins is a doctor and he gave me medication for my insomnia and hallucinations, but now I don't really know what kind of meds he had me on."

"And where are these records now?"

"They are gone, his office conveniently caught on fire during the custody hearing, destroying any proof of him prescribing me medication. I am Italian, I don't fully understand Japanese, so I trusted he was giving me the right medication."

"So there is no proof that you weren't asleep from taking medication that night, something you thought would help you sleep might have been a drug planted in your system to take the fall for Ms. Moto's negligence. And these hallucinations, have they ever made you become violent?"

"No, ma'am. It's more of an annoyance. No one would believe me if I told them, but at times I see red numbers floating in the air and blurry red lines that look like they could be letters." Teru leansforward in his chair for he is one of those who made the eye deal with the shinigami, Ryuk.

"I also see a flying demon that hovers around me but don't bother me. He waits for something to happen, but I don't know what. Death would be my guess because I see one at every funeral I go to. The doctors don't know what it is, but it's been a problem since I was a child."

"And this man who claimed to see you with Rena Moto at the park, how did he identify you?"

"He picked me out of a line up by only hearing my voice."

"So he never saw your face to identify you?"

"No."

"No further questions your honor."

With no witnesses besides the police and the bystander and Micca, the jury is conflicted, some find no point in finding him not guilty because they rather not have Ren's family grieve over not ever finding the real killer and not getting the justice they seek, while some believe that he did it and should be thrown in jail for Kira to deal with him while others believe he is not guilty by seeing the truths in his eyes and that he should be able to be with his son in a country where he is more welcomed. The verdict is read:

"We the jury find, Micca Abandonato guilty of kidnapping his son, guilty of fleeing the country while facing criminal charges, and guilty for the murder of Rena Moto."

"Micca Abandonato, you will fulfill a life sentence in jail or for as long as Kira shall let you live. Court adjourned." As he is escorted out of the court room, the bystander smirks at Micca and pulls a ring out his pocket, the promise ring Micca gave Ren and the ring that was missing from her finger when her hand was found in a pile of woodchips.

"You killed her! You killed her!" He shouts to the man as he tries to break free of the bailiff's restraint."The killer is right there, do you not see him!"

"Retrain him!" The judge demands.

Teru is tempted to write down Micca's name in his death note, but in his mind he believed every word he said knowing of the shinigami eyes and gods of death. He lets him live and waits for Kira's order. As for the bystander, Teru manipulates his death so he would reveal that he killed Rena Moto. Backlash against Kira briefly arose when Micca died of a heart attack in jail before his court date to be placed on probation for the kidnapping and fleeing the country. Groups protested for legal reform of court systems where the accused's true identity isn't revealed until conviction without a chance for retrial due to a mistrial. With the father and the mother dead, the toddler was left without a home. Sani took it upon herself to find the child a home. None of the mother's family wanted to take in a half- Italian, half-Japanese baby of a 'murderer'. She took the child to Italy in search of his paternal family and left him with his aunt and uncle.

**Summoning**

Night is approaching and Taro and Lucca are still at the café. They managed to fill up a whole page of the death note with names be they broadcast on the TV or on the internet. Taro looks at the assignment their teacher gave them debating what he should write. Lucca still focuses on the TV that is now on a game show.

"What I believe in, huh? Well I can't say too much or Signora Donna will think I'm crazy."

"No one is crazy anymore, not after learning about the existence of shinigami and their eyes that can see things that the normal human cannot."

"True. Kira made us all aware of the thin line between life and death and that there are other beings, other forces out there that control our fates. I should put that in my paper!"

"And we're just getting started. No need to write a silly essay about what you believe in, we shall show our teacher the truth of our world and our existence." Lucca starts packing up his things and hands Taro the piece of napkin he was writing names on. Taro tucks it in the death note and saves writing down the names for later. "Well, I am heading home, we shall continue tomorrow." He heads towards the exit but Taro calls to him,

"Hey wait up!" He threw his things in his bag and the death note under his shirt, using his belt on his pants to hold it against his stomach. Belphagor floats behind him as they leave the café and walk down the street.

Mantua is a city near Verona where Romeo and Juliet was set, so many travelers pass through on their way there. The city is a historical site where the Gonzaga family ruled spreading cultural and artistic influence. It is also where the musical influence of Opera was born. The streets stay busy from early morning to late night with music filling the air, masterpieces being painted on the streets, food, drinks and drunk people everywhere. There is no curfew here even when the adults try to impose one, but there is no need since crime is scarce and everyone pretty much knows everyone. Belphagor knows that he must not make his presence known if he wants to keep his amusement going. As they walk home the boys talk to each other and Belphagor can't help but join in the conversation. Since they are only ten most don't pay any mind to them talking to an unseen third person, most just believe that they still have an imaginary friend. Taro and Lucca pass through Piazza Virgilio and see the statue of Virgil.

"Virgil, the Roman poet who guided Dante through death. The Divine Comedy, one of the world's greatest accounts of the afterlife; inferno, purgatorio, paradiso…they are all the same place. No matter what we did while alive, when we die we all go to the same place. Be it the earth then to the cosmos eventually when all life ceases to exisit." Lucca makes a cross in the air by moving his hand from his forehead, to his chest and then to his right shoulder then left. Belphagor smirks as he floats above the statue of Virgil. They continue walking home as Belphagor walks behind them.

"Yes, you humans have come up with some interesting stories about death. But you are right Lucca, death is equal; unless, you are one of the lucky humans who become a shinigami when you die."

"Become a shinigami?" Taro and Lucca say at the same time.

"Yes. The more you kill the less human you become." He says as he looks into Lucca's eyes.

"Well, I already feel like a shinigami. I already have the eyes and a death note; I am just missing the wings and the appearance of death." Lucca stares back at Belphagor with the same look in his eyes.

"After they die, the place they go to is MU (nothingness). Is Mu the shinigami realm?" Taro wonders.

"Mu is a person, place and thing; all go there, all become it and all are defined by it. There's nothing more to it."

They make it to Taro's house first and arrive as Stephan gets home from work. Lucca doesn't live too far down the street and lamp posts light the way so Stephan finds no need to offer him a ride home. Well, Lucca continues to walk not giving Stephan the chance to ask.

"Made a new friend, Taro?"

"Yeah and it's weird. He's very much like me but cooler."

"And here you were complaining the other day that you wouldn't make friends and now you already have a partner in crime. I know its Friday but its eleven o'clock. You know you should have been home hours ago." He says to him as he opens the front door. He's holding a take-out bag with a pasta dinner in it for the both of them. He knew Taro would be awake when he got home and hungry as most boys at this age don't know how to cook.

"You have no idea." He mumbles to himself. Stephan sets his things on the table by the door and heads to the kitchen with the food to get plates for their food.

"By the way, you're cool little man. Even know I am not your father, it runs in the family." Taro lets out a giggle as he hits the button on the answering machine to hear the messages left for them.

"You have one new message." Beep. "Hey, Taro I thought you'd be home but I guess you finally got out the house. I haven't heard from you in a while little brother. How's Mantua? It looks really pretty there! I hope you're adjusting well. I'll come visit you soon. Maybe work will bring me that way. Oh, say hi to Stephan for me! Bye-bye!" Beep. "End of new messages".

"Are you not talking to your sister either?" Stephan wonders.

"No, I am. I'll call her back eventually" He answers as he sits down on the couch and turns on the TV. His threw his backpack on the ground and some of its contents are slipping out, the death note being one of them. Stephan can only see some of the covering and can't pinpoint why it looks so familiar. He doesn't think too hard about since there are many kinds of black notebooks.

It only takes a few weeks for the world to realize that Kira has returned, but this time at a much larger scale. With five other death notes scattered throughout the world countries begin to mobilize; alliances form, threats and demands are made, criminals avoid exposure while followers work in the shadows. The most mobilization is occurring in Brazil, Mexico, North Korea, Australia, and Egypt. The United States is on high alert with numerous missile and bomb threats from North Korea and mass immigration from Mexico. Egypt is starting a crusade through Africa to unite the many tribes and have them as an army for conflicts in the Middle East while also supporting governmental reform in the regions. Australia is forming an alliance with Canada and the United States to keep Mexico and North Korea at bay while exploiting their countries for resources. Brazil is punishing those who allow the less fortunate to suffer while the greedy do little or nothing about it. They are also spreading a new religion that incorporates the ideas of Asian, Egyptian and European religions with Kira at its center.

The boys and Belphagor are at Lucca's place while his guardians are away grocery shopping. They sit in his living room that has a basket full of fruits on the table; apples, oranges, grapes, mangos, bananas. The TV is on one of the many news channels covering "The Return Of Kira". Belphagor eats an apple.

"These are good! Ryuk was right. These are much 'juicier'."

"Well, that just means we need to take out the competition." Taro concludes.

"Easier said than done; L will return and he knows all about the death note." Belphagor informs them.

"Then we just have to be smarter than the Kira before us." Lucca responds.

"I know who L is and knowing him he will want to all the death notes. He needn't know that we have one, but he can lead us to the other ones." Taro states.

"You know L! But how?!"

"I know people who work and worked for him, but that's classified information."

"Well, I would avoid working with the people who are trying to incarcerate us. The internet, the TV news and gossip will probably be enough."

"You two are forgetting about me. I can find other shinigami easily. And the six death notes the human own are accompanied by six death notes the shinigami own."

"Twelve death notes. And why would you help us?" Lucca skeptically says.

"The other shinigami want to destroy the human world and make it another Shinigami Realm. If World War III happens, they will succeed. As for me, you humans are entertaining and another shinigami realm would just bring more boredom. I want to make you and Lucca into shinigami when the rest are gone and together we can defeat the King of Death and rule over the human world with no restraint, no rules…endless entertainment. Since you picked up the death note, you are going to die Taro when I write your name down in it. Why not have an eternal afterlife spent with your friend? The more you kill, the more like shinigami you become, the longer you can remain a shinigami. Make this short time you call life worth it." Taro and Lucca gulp at the same time hoping their lives won't be cut short like Kira's was. Lucca regains his composure an says,

"Shinigami are no match for me. They can see me but they don't know I have the eyes because Taro owns the death note, right?"

"Correct."

"Then we have nothing to worry about. You find the shinigami, Taro and you can gain their trust while I dispose of them."

"How do you kill a shinigami though?" Taro questions.

"There are many ways to kill a shinigami, many unknown to us, but some have been witnessed. The obvious one is that if we don't kill humans and take their remaining lifespan we will die. There are laws in the world of gods of death believe it or not. If a god of death should break the law, there are 9 levels of severity starting at Level 8 and going up to Level 1 plus the Extreme Level. For severity levels above 3 the god of death will be killed after being punished. For example, killing a human without using the Death Note is considered as the 'Extreme Level'. If the god of death decides to use the Death Note to kill the assassin of an individual it favors, the individual's life will be extended, but the god of death will die. The dead god of death will disappear, but the Death Note will remain. The ownership of this Death Note is usually carried over to the next god of death that touches it, or is kept in possession of the human owner of the Death Note."

"So, we have to make a shinigami intentionally extend the life of a human or kill a human not using the death note or prevent them from writing names, but that would take too long. Can you kill other shinigami, Belphagor?" Taro asks.

"Never tried."

"Then it can be possible." Lucca believes. Taro looks at the clock to see that it is almost dinner time.

"We will figure out something. I should get going, don't want to intrude on your family dinner. "

"You just don't want Stephan to yell at you again. I don't know why you listen to him? He's not even your father."

"He's the closest thing I have to one. See you tomorrow, Lucca." Taro and Belphagor head home while Lucca heads to his room and locks himself in. He can't remember the last time he ate a family dinner and even fewer memories of his parents. Living with his aunt who is a widow, he has no father figure in his life and not really a mother one either. His aunt is always gone shopping or on dates trying to find a sugar daddy. She's barely home to spend time with Lucca and has rarely mentioned anything about his parents and their whereabouts. She told him that they abandoned him but Lucca knows the truth.

Tokyo, Japan. The National Police Force has a new division of special agents who work directly with L following the end of the Kira investigation. Many other countries have followed suit seeing that Kira isn't even as powerful as L. The International Task Force or ITF is composed of those who have proven to L: loyalty, intelligence, insightfulness, initiative, creativity, emotional strength and who have gained his trust. Many of the current members are those who were on the Japanese Task Force and the Special Provisions for Kira or SPK from the Kira investigation. Nate 'Near' River currently has the title of L and calls a meeting with those who have dealt with Kira before.

"Good evening everyone. Many of you here have realized that the Kira investigation continues. It seems that a new death note has fallen into the human world. No. More like more than one are showing up throughout the world. All but one of you has dealt with Kira and the shinigami Ryuk. But all of you know the power the death not has. As before, we need to take the necessary precautions to track down these death notes and confiscate them. Please, share with me any information you have obtained thus far."

"L, in certain countries in the world syndicates are forming. Most seem to be associated with The United States, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, North Korea and Egypt." Anthony 'Rester' Carter reports.

Part of the Special Provisions for Kira (SPK), he was the man who stayed with Near at all times while the others were doing their own investigations. He even accompanied Near on his first plane ride to Los Angeles since Near refused to go alone. Among them, Near trust him the most.

"To add on to that: I have found blacklists full of names of suspected syndicate members for other syndicates to target. They also coincide with the countries with the most syndicate activity." Touta Matsuda adds.

The youngest of the Japanese Task Force before Light joined, he admired Chief Yagami immensely. He was always on the fence towards his views of Kira and the world he was creating but that never discouraged his drive to catch him. When Near revealed Light to be Kira and he attempted to kill Near using a paper clipping from the Death Note, Matsuda was the one who shot Light multiple times feeling betrayed and manipulated after seeing how unremorseful Light was. Matsuda was going to kill him for causing the death of L, Watari, Soichiro and countless others, but Aizawa stopped him.

"L, based on other agent sources who were investigating in Australia the shinigami does not seem to be on the fence. The shinigami may be the ones leading the conflicts." Hideki Ide informs.

Shuichi Aizawa's partner during their policeman days, he joined the Kira investigation with him and chief Soichiro Yagami. Having a rocky relationship with L's unconventional methods he left for some time. He returned with Aizawa after he left for financial reasons and led a blockade to catch Higuchi, a temporary Kira, and obtain the death note. He did trust Light almost as much as his father and was devastated when that trust was betrayed.

"I think it is safe to assume that there is more than one shinigami this time and who knows how many death notes." Kanzo Mogi concludes.

A man of few words, he is forced out of his shell when he is made the manager of Misa Amane. He proved to be a great investigator due to his acting skills and grew fond of Misa despite knowing that she is/was the second Kira. When she committed suicide, he takes her death hard believing he didn't do everything in his power to prevent it.

"It is unclear if the shinigami are using humans to fight for them in some unknown war, or the humans have asked the shinigami to help with their own goals…" Halle 'Lidner' Bullock brainstorms.

Another member of SPK and former United States FBI agent; her assignment was to become a bodyguard to Kiyomi Takada, the voice of Kira.

Mello contacted Halle to inform him of his plan to kidnap Takada to aid in Near's investigation and she helps him by leading Takada to Mello's motorcycle while Matt draws the security team away, forcing Kira to act.

"Or the shinigami just might be bored and want to cause chaos for entertainment." Shuichi Aizawa believes.

Former second in command of the Japanese Task Force after L's death he never stopped suspecting Light of being Kira; he was the first one to suspect Light of being Kira. The serious one of the group with a wife and two children, he keeps the rest of them on task. Former Japanese policeman, he is now the chief of the National Police Force and leader of the Japanese Task Force. Making ends meet is no longer a struggle for him.

"The places that the death note or notes might be are too strategically placed. There may be someone or a group of people trying to rule the world, masking it behind a world war." Kiara Lawliet speculates as she stands in the room where L is transmitting the video call from.

She is a twenty year old young lady who travels around the world with L solving seemingly unsolvable crimes. She grew up with Near, Mello and Matt at Wammy's House. Roger was her main care-taker and father-figure. She hardly knew her father for his was the first L, L Lawliet who died when she was only seven years old. Four years ago when she was 16, Nate declared her a "successor of L" should anything happen to him. He gives her the letter "A", indicating the new generation of L successors. The only thing that reminds her of the father she barely knew are her dark eyes that she brightens with purple contacts.

"Thank you all for the information. I do believe there are multiple shinigami and many death notes in our world now. I also believe that both the owners of the death notes and the shinigami have hidden agendas. We must confiscate every death note that comes to our world to prevent a global war. We have to avoid shinigami detection and maybe even find a way to kill them, since I have heard this has happened before, thanks to Ryuk."

Now twenty-six years old, Nate still works with disbanded members of the Japanese Task Force and the SPK. Formally known as Near, he grew up at Wammy's House as a Successor of L. Partially raised by Watari, Roger and Sani with Mello being his biggest competition, working together they defeated Kira. Near became the new L, world's greatest detective, upon Mello's sacrifice. Roger became his Watari.

L switches his screen to a live video feed for them to see. "All of you have touched the notebook so you should be able to see Ryuk. And yes, I never burned the real one just for this occasion. Since Gevanni found the real one an allowed me to touch it first wen Light died, I own the death note. I haven't used it and don't intend to, but it is nice knowing some of its rules. Surprisingly, Ryuk has been responsive to my questions."

'Ryuk, what brings you back to the human world? Are you stirring up trouble?" Aizawa hopes he isn't.

"Hyuk, Hyuk, Hyuk" He laughs. "Actually I am here to help because we have the same mission. The King of Death sent me to bring back the rogue shinigami before they mess up "The System".

"The System?" Matsuda wants more information.

"The System is the purpose behind shinigami and humans existence. We exist to coexist."

"Agents, I will contact Sani and Stephan to recruit them for the mission. With Ryuk actually on our side this time and our expertise things should go rather smoothly. Kiara and I are currently in India ad we will make our way back to Japan tonight. Be prepared to start your assignments tomorrow morning, 9am sharp. Good night."

The screen cuts off and the agents head home to get some sleep knowing that until they resolve this conflict they will have few and far between. L turns to Kiara and Ryuk,

"Ryuk, if what you say is true and you want to us to help you remove the shinigami from this world, tell me everything I need to know about the death note and its rules."

"Get a pen ad some paper out because it is a long list. But one thing is certain, if you want the shinigami to stay away, the six death notes must all be under your ownership and linked to one shinigami. That shinigami better be one that won't kill you and pass them onto someone else to cause more havoc. Only six death notes are allowed to be in full effect in the human world, the first six humans pick up. Any after that will have no effect."

"So we have one, so only five of the six out there are active?" Kiara deduces.

"Precisely."

"So a human is using one as a threat and using someone else to carry out their will. My best bet would be The United States since they are using Brazil and Australia for protection."

"Exactly what I was thinking, Kiara. The reason for the syndicates is to find out who's note book is a fake."

"I'd say we have a pretty good start already, this should be fun!" Kiara cracks her neck and heads to her room in the hotel while L eats a chocolate bar and plays computer games before going to sleep for only a few hours.

The world rejoices the return of Kira, while others are in fear of the ever growing influence. Sani makes her way from The United States while Stephan hopes that he can help with the investigation from Mantua. L suspects that a death note may be in Italy based on some of the criminals targeted over past weeks and tells Stephan to start his investigation there. Taro and Lucca get a hold of the blacklists after finding them on highly encrypted websites that weren't too hard for Lucca to crack. They start punishing those on the black lists while trying to follow the name trail to the death note owners. With a world map and a red pen, they mark the hometown and known residences of their victims but the scope is too large. After learning that Stephan is on the same mission, they hope that his investigations will help them know the identity of the death note owners and their shinigami.

**Daughter **

July 2020. Already in Japan, Sani invites the other members of the task force for dinner. Aizawa, Carter, Bullock and Matsuda arrive first. Matsuda brought along a "newbie" who joined the task force shortly after the Kira investigation ended. Shou Yamamoto has been with their team for six years now, but he still acts like Matsuda when he was the rookie; unpredictable, social, empathetic and has an inferiority complex being the only one of them that hasn't work with L before or knows what he looks like. While waiting for Mogi, Ide and the arrival of L and Kiara they reminisce on the previous Kira investigation. Sani is cooking in the kitchen with Carter while the others sit at the breakfast bar.

"Wow, everyone looks so different. I haven't seen any of you in a while! I have to ask how you all have been. How are you, Bullock?"

"Single, no children, don't plan on having any. Currently, I am working as a special agent for L." Her response as she stirs sugar into her coffee.

"Straight to the point as ever. How about you, Carter?"

"Top crime scene investigator in England, you should call me Sherlock Holmes. Hoping to retire soon, I am almost fifty. My daughter just recently had her first children and now I am a grandfather to twins!" He proudly says as he chops up vegetables for a stir fry.

"Oh how nice! Grandpa already…times flying by. By the way, Aizawa, how's the wife and kids? They have to be leaving the nest soon, right?"

"Well Yumi is in college, Eriko is stressing about it and Sota just hit puberty, so it's a pretty hectic time right now. Sota needs me now more than ever but he and Eriko know how my job is. We made it through the first Kira investigation with little trouble, although the kids were much younger then." Aizawa pulls out a photo of his family he recently took and passes it around.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's hard trying to raise children in our line of work."

"Especially for single mothers, Sani. That's why I don't want kids." Bullock reiterates.

"Yes, I just got lucky that my family has been so helpful and supportive. I know I should be there more for them, but they are turning out ok."

"Yeah, our family is great!" Matsuda confirms.

"I'm still not talking to you, Matsuda. How can you marry my cousin? You're more than a decade apart in age!"

"It's only eleven years…besides we helped each other get through our mental health recoveries."

"Yeah, no kidding. I thought Sayu would be traumatized for the rest of her life after Mello and his gang kidnapped her in exchange for the death note. I thought you had lost it too, Matsuda after trying to shoot Light in the head." Aizawa puts his family photo back into his wallet.

"At least you stopped me."

"Well, he snapped rightfully so. When I found out my cousin was Kira and about all the people he had killed after Near showed me the death note… I would have wanted to kill him too. That was a dark time. I felt responsible for his mentality of the world by being a criminal justice major in college and prolonging his exposure to horrifying crime stories; the ones I and uncle shared with him. It was something we all bonded over, unfortunately."

"Chief Soichiro Yagami. He was like a father to me and now in death, legally he is. His birthday is in a few days. Will you visit Sayu and Sachiko with me?" Matsuda begs.

"Yeah, I was planning on it. Besides, I want to see my little cousin, Tekken! He is four years old now, right?"

"Yeah; he's growing pretty fast too!"

"Tekken…your favorite video game growing up?" Carter thinks.

"Father's name. Ironically he didn't rule with an iron fist, he was pretty chill compared to most Japanese fathers."

"That explains your maturity level back then, you've come a long way though." Aizawa tells Matsuda as he puts his hand on his shoulder. The rest of them laugh.

The doorbell rings and Aizawa answers it with Sani's permission. Mogi and Ide finally arrive passing on the news that L and Kiara are stopping in Australia to follow a lead they got. For the time being, the rest of them plan out where they should go and with whom. They have to divide themselves between The United States, Mexico, North Korea, Brazil and Egypt. Aizawa and Ide decide to tackle North Korea while Bullock decides the United States would be easy to infiltrate due to her past jobs as a Secret Service and FBI agent. Sani has always wanted to go to Brazil and wants to go with Matsuda knowing they would fit in best in that environment. Mogi and Yamamoto will head to Mexico while L and Kiara are in Australia and will eventually meet up with Stephan in Egypt. With that decided, everyone heads home, to a hotel or stays with Sani at her house.

A few days later, Sani arrives at her aunt's house with Mogi, Ide and Aizawa in a smaller city just southwest of Tokyo called Kamakura. This city has many Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines and is located near the ocean making it a tourist attraction. Even with all the tourism, it is a more peaceful place for Sachiko, Sayu and Touta to raise Tekken in. This place became a sanctuary for Sayu while she was recovery from trauma and Sachiko when she was grieving over the deaths of her husband and son. Sani was the one who told Sachiko of Light's death, telling her that, "his death was a great sacrifice that helped put an end to the Kira investigation." Only recently did Sachiko tell Sayu of their passing; she was waiting for the right time to tell her so she wouldn't fall into a state of reclusion again. Today would be Soichiro's 62nd birthday. They all go to one of the shrines to pay their respects to Soichiro, Light and Misa. Light and Misa were both winter babies, so their birthdays already passed, but they can't pray for one of them without praying for all of them. Sani and former JTF members know that Light and Misa were Kira and that Light caused his father's death, a secret they kept from Sachiko and Sayu.

Father of Light Yagami and brother to Sani's mother, Soichiro Yagami was the police chief before joining the Japanese Task Force. Working with his trusted former police officers turned investigators, L Lawliet, Light and Watari he was determined to prove to L that Light was not Kira. After volunteering to be confined with Light and Misa Amane, saving his daughter from Mello who kidnapped her in exchange for the Death Note, cutting his life in half by making the shinigami eye deal in an attempt to kill Mello and being shot to death- he died believing that his son wasn't Kira.

Not knowing that Quillish Wammy was Watari or who he was besides Sani's grandfather; he never made the connection she had with L until it was revealed after their deaths. This information he kept to himself. He was surprised that someone from his brother-in-law's family took Sani in after him being so adamant that Sani wasn't his daughter. He also wondered why his sister didn't leave her with his family instead, but he just figured that she had her reasons. It was most likely because his career as a cop was taking off and he and Sachiko were not ready for children yet; Light was born in 1989, Sani's mother died in 1987 when Sani was five. However, Soichiro allowed Sani to stay with his family so she could go to college in Japan for law school back in 2002.

After they pay their respects, they head back to Sachiko's home to eat lunch and enjoy each other's company. Sayu pulls out old photo albums filled with pictures of the years before Light was born, when she and her brother were young, when Sani was living with them and the years when the death note was in the human world. Sani sees a picture of baby Light with his mother in their front yard back in Tokyo. He has a big smile on his face as he watches his mother water their flowers. Sayu pulls out a photo of her and Light on her first day of school. She remembers them walking to school together feeling no fear because her big brother was by her side. Matsuda sees a picture of Sachiko and Soichiro on their honeymoon in Hawaii. He laughs seeing the chief's style-clothes, hair and glasses- back in the day. A note falls out the back of the album. Mogi picks it up and reads it aloud:

"Careful what you do, cause God is watching your every move. Hold my hand in the dark street for if you do I know that I'll be safe. Even if I'm far away and alone, I can be sure that you will find me there, this I know. You draw me close for a while, so quiet. You tell me everything. If I forget what you say then you'd come to me and tell me again. Yes, you'd tell me once again. But what happen when I know it all then what should I do after that? What then? ~Misa Amane's Suicide Note."

"Misa didn't just love Light, she worshipped him. Light was Kira, wasn't he?" Sayu asks Mogi but really addressing the question to everyone in the room.

"Yes, Light was Kira. Misa was Kira as well. Soichiro died trying to clear Light's name from suspicion." Matsuda answers for everyone that knows.

"Thank you for the truth, sweetie. Mom and I knew for a while now. I overheard a conversation you had with Aizawa." She kisses Matsuda on the cheek letting him know that hiding the truth was okay.

Sachiko hands a picture of Sani and Light at the beach when she first arrived to Japan for college to Sani. Light sits on a boulder in the water near shore- looking out to the sea in a contemplative position-while Sani gets her feet wet near the shore smiling at the camera while the wind blows her hair away from her face.

"Light had this photo on his desk in his room for the longest time. He told me it was his favorite photo of you two." Sani smiles and lets a tear fall from her right eye onto the picture.

"I remember that day. He was so curious about me and my family, England, and criminal justice. He kept bragging about uncle being a cop and how he wanted to be an investigator when he got older. He was very talkative and that was the only time he was quiet." She laughs. She thinks back to her time living with her uncle's family and life in Japan.

Winchester, England 2002. Sani is packing her things, ready to head to Japan to pursue a law degree. Her grandfather, Watari feels like it is not a good idea considering her current situation. Only a couple of years ago, Sani had a child. Watari knows that she will be in good hands with Sachiko but he feels that it would be best if at least one of her parents raise her.

"Sani, I know you have wanted to go to Japan for a long time to get to know your mother's side of the family, but now is not a good time. You will have plenty of time to get your degree when Kiara is older. Right now, she needs you-to recognize that you are her mother and not one of her caretakers. The same goes for L, he needs to be in her life more…but I know he won't stop working."

"He needs to grow up and both of you need to stop making me everyone's mother. I worked, went to school and basically raised Nate, Mail and Mihael. I can do it again, just in a different country. She will need me more when she gets older too and by that time we will have our own home, I will have an established career and maybe L will slow down. I don't want to be dependent on you or L for the rest of my life."

"Sani, your aunt has two children she already has to worry about. She doesn't need a third. There is nothing wrong with being a stay-at-home mom, here in England."

"Grandfather, I am going to Japan. If leaving Kiara here with Roger is easier than inconveniencing my aunt, then I will do that. I'll come visit every break and eventually move Kiara to wherever I find a job. Everything will work out, I promise." She hugs Watari and continues to pack her things. Watari knows her mind is made up and allows her to leave and to leave Kiara at Wammy's House until she is done with school. At the airport, Avon, Bran, Mello, Near, Matt, Roger, Kiara in Watari's arms send her off while L watches in disguise.

Arriving in Japan, Soichiro picks her up from the airport on his way home from work. Exhausted from the flight Sani falls asleep in the car on the way home. Sachiko is surprised to see that she came to Japan without her child, but respects her decision. Their home being not that spacious, Sayu shares her room with Sani. She makes this a temporary arrangement until she can save up enough money to get her own apartment. At first, Light didn't like being outnumbered with another female in the house while his dad works long hours but quickly he learned that she was a girl who is "one of the guys". She enjoys helping Light with homework, playing videogames and tennis during free time, watching anime and scary movies with much supernatural content and watching court cases on the TV. She hangs out with Sayu as well when they want to pamper themselves, go shopping or talk about a crush she has. Sani feels at home with the Yagamis and happy that for once she is doing something for herself; not raising the next successor of L, not taking care of their child on her own because L is always gone and not putting her life on hold for her grandpa, boyfriend and their child or any of the orphans she never adopted. She loves them all but knows she must be self-aware of her own independence and self-reliance in order to help those she loves.

By the time she gets into graduate law school in 2006, she moves a now six year old Kiara with her to Japan. She gets a small apartment for the two of them. Sani kept her promise and visited her on every break she had, Skype with her and sent her presents in the mail for her birthday and holidays. Kiara grew up at the orphanage with many other kids without parents so compared to their situations, she was lucky to have one parent who was there for her. Kiara had a hard time believing that her father was real or even alive. She never saw him in person or heard his real voice. Watari showed her a picture of him when he first arrived to Wammy House. Sani was the second person he met. In the picture they sit on a bench in the yard, well Sani sits on the bench and L lies in the fetal position under it. Kiara could see where some of her weird habits come from seeing how eccentric her father is; from the way she holds utensils by her fingertips, having a sweet tooth for lollipops, likes feeling things with her face instead of her hands to name a few. Watari tells Kiara these are the only pictures of her father and that she should never show them to anyone besides her mother and him. He allows her to take a couple with her to Japan in a locked jewelry box with a fake bottom.

Only a few weeks after she arrives, Kira is born. Sani worries about L for challenging him, but she believes that he will defeat Kira and when he has to face the court, she will be the one to prosecute him. Knowing that Kira is in the Kanto region of Japan, the region where Tokyo is, Kiara knows that her father is probably doing his investigation nearby and searches for him. She confirms her thought when her mother receives phone calls from him telling her where he is staying. Secretly and periodically, Sani goes to visit him and Kiara follows. Soon, Sani notices she is being followed and scolds Kiara for being so careless.

"Kiara, what if someone caught you following me and learned that L has a family? His whole investigation would be in jeopardy! I'm already risking my life by seeing him knowing that someone we both know may be Kira. If he found out, he would use us to dispose of your father and may even get rid of us too."

"I just want to see him. Not once have I meet him in person! Why are you trying to keep me away from him?"

"He doesn't know how to love…not you, not me, not Watari. He's selfish and childish and"

"But, he still is my dad. I know he think about us, I know he asks about me when he calls, I know he loves me, he just doesn't know how to show it. That's something the orphans thought me. It's hard to love when you've been abandoned, but I love no matter what. " Kiara clenches her fist trying really hard not to cry. Sani pulls her into her arms,

"You're too smart for a six year old. You remind me of him every day." She wipes her face and leads her to his hotel room. At the door, Kiara knocks and says,

"Daddy, are you home?" She hears a commotion on the other side of the door before it finally opens.

"Hi grandpa!" She says as she runs past him to the sitting room. L gets up from the couch and turns to Kiara. He scratches his left foot with his right toes and his head with his left finger. He looks at Kiara and then his eyes shy away. Neither says a word for a good minute until she runs over to him and hugs him around the legs. He kneels down and puts his hands on her shoulders.

"You're definitely not a baby anymore. I used to be able to hold you in one arm."

"You actually held me?"

"Yes. I was there for your first year of life. I even held you at the hospital the day you were born. You were so small and so soft." He pinches her cheek. "I was so scared that something would happen to you, your mother or me. You always liked to touch my face by rubbing yours to mine which made me feel better." Kiara laughs as he rubs his cheek on hers. "Then, I knew that I wouldn't let anything happen to you or I. My job requires that no one knows my true identity or life, Kiara. I watched you grow up from afar and I never stopped thinking about you." Now that L has put his life on the line for this investigation, he doesn't mind spending some well needed time with his daughter-lowering the barrier that kept him from loving his family.

"A monster who seeks friendship but doesn't know how to love." Sani reminds him of his words he said to the children of Wammy House three years ago.

Sani and Watari let them talk all night. He shows her capoeira and martial arts moves and she attempts to preform them. She talks about her friends at Wammy House and how she thinks Matt (Mail Jeevas) should be one of his successors too. He shares stories of some of the cases he solved throughout the years and even some stories of him when he was at Wammy's house-especially the one about meeting Sani and the boy with the red eyes. This was before L knew that B's eyes were shinigami eyes and that shinigami exist. This is the one connection he used to be 100% sure that Misa Amane was the second Kira. Before L and his team obtained a death note by confiscating it from Kyosuke Higuchi, head of technology development at a giant international corporation, Yotsuba aka the third Kira; during Misa's attempt to meet Kira she had mentioned in a broadcast message to Kira that she doesn't think Kira has "the eyes" and that they should show each other their "shinigami". Confirming with Sani that B saw names and numbers above people's heads, he knew that the second Kira had the same eyes B had. When he saw Rem, the shinigami attached to Higuchi's death note, L knew his deductions were right. She only needed to see a face to kill having "the eyes". This deduction however would cut his time short with finally getting to know his daughter.

November 5th, 2007. A storm is raging outside. L sits in his room with an uneasy feeling tugging on his heart. He goes to Watari's room and he asks him what is wrong seeing the sad expression on his face. L just wants to run into his arms like he is five again, but he doesn't say a word.

He picks up his phone and dials Sani's number. It rings a few times before she picks up.

"Sani…"He doesn't know what to say.

"No, this is Kiara. Who is this? Caller ID says, Ryuga."

"Kiara, it's L. I need to talk to your mother. Please, put her on the phone."

"Love you too, dad." She sticks her tongue out at the phone and hands it to her mom.

"Yes. Do you need something?" All she can hear is the rain hitting a window at her house.

"L? Are you there?" Silence for a minute and then,

"I hear the bells."

"The bells? The church bells…are they chiming?"

"They sound sad and are getting louder by the minute."

"A funeral, did someone die?"

"I'm sorry but they are ringing for me. I guess I will never hear the bells chime and I'll miss the wedding. Will you still get married in that church, even if I won't be there?"

"L…are you proposing to me knowing that you will die soon? What happened, are you closing in on Kira?"

"Your deduction is correct. I will be leaving this world soon. Please, accept my proposal before I die. You should have gotten a ring in the mail." Sani fiddles with it on her left hand ring finger.

"I've been wearing it since I opened the box. I love you, L. Please, don't go." Tears steadily flow down her face like a stream.

"I'm afraid it's too late. Kira won this fight, but not the battle. Light is Kira. I am sure of it."

"I will make sure he is brought to justice, I promise you that."

"Thank you, I love you too, Sani. Tell Kiara I am sorry for not being around more…time isn't on my side."

L hangs up the phone and heads outside to the roof. A storm is lingering but he can't help to look at the sky. He is instantly soaked but too busy mesmerized by the dark clouds, the sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning. He listens to the invisible bells. Dong. Dong. Dong. He is listening with great focus that he doesn't realize that Light is calling to him.

"What are you doing standing out there by yourself?" He yells, but L can't her him over the rain. Light walks out into the rain so he can hear him.

"What are you doing, Ryuzaki?" He asks as he tries to block the rain from his face with his arm.

"Oh, nothing really just I can hear the bells."

"The bells?"

"Yes, the sound is unbelievably loud today." Light looks around and listens.

"Huh? I don't hear anything."

"Really, you can't hear them. They have been ringing nonstop all day. It's very distracting." He looks at the giant satellite on the roof. "I wonder if it's a church, maybe a wedding or perhaps a funeral." Light lowers his arm down finding no point in blocking the rain that soaks him.

"What are you getting at, Ryuzaki? Come on, cut it out. Lets get back inside."

"I'm sorry. Nothing I say makes any sense anyway. If I were you, I wouldn't believe any of it." He stares sadly at the ground and Ligt can see that L knows he is defeated.

"You know you're right. Honestly, most of the things you say sound like complete nonsense. There would be no end to my troubles if I took you seriously all the time. I probably know that better than anyone."

"Yes, I would say that's a fair assessment. But, I can say the same about you."

"Hmm…what's that supposed to mean?" L faces him directly.

"Tell me light, from the moment you were born has there ever been a point you actually told the truth?" L stares straight into Light's eyes as his facial expression freezes with downturned eyebrows. Light response with a long answer as he knew he would but he does hear his lie,

"I make a conscious effort not to tell a lie that can hurt others. That's my answer."

"I had a feeling you'd say something like that. Lets go back inside, we're both drenched."

Not so soon after they head inside and dry off, L gets a call from Watari saying that they can carry out their plan to prove Misa is the second Kira. As he tells the team his plan, the security system goes off. Watari deletes all the information they have gathered thus far for the Kira investigation before he dies. L knows it is the shinigami and tries to warn them but before he could finish the word, Shinigami he falls over from a heart attack. His life flashes before his eyes and the bells ring loud in his ears. Light catches him before he can hit the ground, telling him not to die on him.

As L's eyes close he can see Light's facial expression go from panic and shock to an evil grin; he swear he can see red in his eyes like a shinigami. L dies knowing that Light is Kira.

Sani hands the picture back to Sachiko. She remembers that when L and Watari were killed, she knew that if she was going to help L catch Kira, Kiara would be better off in England-out of harm's way. Sachiko collects all the photos and puts them back in their proper spots. As the night goes on, everyone gradually starts to leave knowing that tomorrow starts their individual missions. Sachiko is glad that everyone was able to reunite for her late husband's birthday. She knows he is watching over them and he is proud of all of them. Sachiko wanted to join him many times but she enjoys being a grandmother. Sayu loves being a mother and the small family that she has left keeps her going. Sani can't wait to see Kiara and Near because she can feel L's spirit living inside them. Like Sachiko, she too doesn't plan on joining her first love anytime soon.

**Circus**

Taro and Lucca meet at a piazza or gathering place in the city to discuss their plans about disposing of the other death note owners. Belphagor has disappeared for the time being and the boys don't know where he went. They haven't figured out how they will track them down or how they will be able to travel the world without supervision, transportation and the money for it all. Taro decides that it is in their best interest to seek Stephan's help knowing that he will be on the same mission with orders from L. Lucca is hesitant about seeking their help knowing that they will seize the notebook from Taro as soon as they get the chance. Taro sees no other option if they want to possess all the notebooks.

"I say we do have another option. We need to find a devote group of Kira worshippers who can help us carry out our plans. A small group of them that can provide us with everything we will need."

"And how do you propose we do that? We can't just go up to people in public and ask. There are people out there that despise Kira and may reveal our location to the police or even worse to L."

"If you are going to ask Stephan, then tell him I own the notebook; tell him that if they try to take it from me I will kill him, you, L and his team. Make Stephan keep our presence a secret." Taro is taken back by not only the seriousness in his voice, but the truth he hears in his threat. He nods his head and agrees though, more out of fear than anything else. "Then it's settled. Stephan will be our means to an end. When the time comes, will you be able to betray him and the others?"

"Yes, they will all die eventually... I will die eventually. I'd rather kill them before they see a world with no mercy. I'm sure when we are shinigami, we will have no recollection of our human life and may kill them anyways. I can only hope that Belphagor keeps his word and my ideals remain so we can be an eternal Kira-the true Kira that only kills those that need to die."

"Belphagor wants to toy with human life, making the world a more perfect place will never happen, Taro...unless you want to become the shinigami's king. I see you, Taro, you are clever. Two shinigami against one in the end; no restraint on our killing powers, no L to combat us-a world we can shape from the ashes of world war." Lucca has a devilish grin on his face as he stares at the sky with excitement. He opens his backpack and dumps maps onto the steps they are sitting on. Taro catches them as they roll down the stairs. On the maps are circles and notes of recent activity that involves mass murder and suspicious deaths.

"Where should we start, somewhere close or somewhere far? Egypt and North Korea is the closest while Brazil, Mexico and Australia are pretty far." Taro analyzes.

"I would say somewhere far and work our way back."

Ring. Ring. Ring. Taro sees that Stephan is calling him and he answers it.

"Ok, I am heading home now. Is it ok if Lucca comes too...Ok thank you, see you in ten." He hangs up. "Stephan says he is heading to the United States for a 'vacation' and he says you and I can go with him. So I guess we will start there."

"Sounds like a plan then. And so the investigation begins."

Taro and Lucca heads to their houses to pack while Stephan contacts L who instruct him to meet up with Halle in Washington D.C. In the evening their flights leaves so they can get to the states in the morning. On the plane, Taro sits between Stephan and Lucca. Lucca falls asleep quickly while Taro tells Stephan that he knows about the death notes appearing around the world and that L wants to track them down, but he wonders how he will stop the shinigami from killing him.

"Since L is in possession of one of the death notes, another shinigami can't kill him, only the shinigami attached to his death note can who is one our side now surprisingly!"

"But the rest of you are not safe."

"Well, that just means we have to be extra careful. L announced the other day that he will not interfere with the Kiras and that it is the world governments' responsibility…of course he is still investigating in secrecy."

"Since L has one, Lucca and I have one, two of the six countries are lying about having one." Taro passes his death note to Stephan so he can see Belphagor. Stephan doesn't open it so he doesn't see the names they have already written in it.

"We need to find the real ones, have them all in our possession and lock them away so no more can enter the human world. However, even with all that the shinigami can kill us and give them to a new owner. We need to find a way to kill them…much easier said than done. From my understanding, the King of Death will keep the shinigami in the shinigami realm- in the shinigami realm."

"This King can't just simply kill them?"

"Even with all the power in the world, the King cannot kill us based on human actions targeted towards other humans but only by the action we take to help humans live. Also, the King cannot kill a death note user since that responsibility lays on the shinigami…a King bound by his own rules." Belphagor explains.

"Some King."

"I'm sure we can kill them when the time comes. We just need to strategize. But right now we should get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us." Stephan hands Taro back his death note and he buries it under the other items in his carry-on. He trusts that Taro didn't use it since he told him they found it a couple days ago. Turning off the overhead light, they go to sleep while Belphagor sits on top of the plane with his wings out stretched; he is amazed at how much faster a plane travels than his own wings can take him.

Several hours later, they arrive in D.C. and meet up with Halle at one of the more expensive hotels in the area. The room is only meant for two, but they manage to sneak in the boys and give them a couch to call their bed. Taro fills Lucca in on what he and Stephan talked about on the plane while he and Halle went to the breakfast bar. Lucca, determine that they can still kill criminals and syndicate members makes a fake notebook with some real pages from the real notebook and carries that around with him so he can continue to kill without causing suspicion from Stephan and the others. Taro and Lucca still want to carry out the ideals of the previous Kira, but neither knows what will happen when they have to confront L.

After they eat breakfast, Stephan lets the boys go site-seeing while he and Halle head to the White House and other major government buildings in search for a Death Note. Sneaking past guards and surveillance cameras, they make it to the oval office and confront the president directly. The secret service is surprised to see a previous member breaking into the White House. They draw their guns on them.

"L sent us, Mrs. President. We have reason to believe that you are in possession of a Death Note." Halle as she cracks her knuckles. She orders his men to lower their guns and to leave them alone.

The current president of the United States is the first female president as well as the first Hispanic president. Many Americans feel like it is her who is allowing the illegal immigration to reach an all-time high knowing that her parents were illegal immigrants at one point; the main thing the rival president candidate focused on during the presidential campaigns. Despite his efforts trying to discredit her legal citizenship, she is now president and is trying her best at dealing with illegal immigration, trying to separate the ones who truly want to better their lives thorough education and hard work from the ones who are trying to expand criminal activities.

"I also have reason to believe that L still has the Death Note from seven year ago. Why does he want another one? How do I know that L won't become Kira? Why should I risk my country's security because L doesn't trust...anyone.?"

"He hasn't used it in those seven years and has no intention of using it ever. He wants to prevent World War III-the end of mankind by mankind. L has dealt with this before and having a neutral person deal with international tensions is best. No one is safe, not with this magnitude of death notes in our word; all seeming to have their own vendetta." Stephan explains.

"The previous president trusted L, I guess I should as well. Unfortunately, we have not confirmed a death note in my country, but we have confirmed one in Egypt and possibly one in Australia. Both are helping us with threats from Mexico and North Korea. In return they ask that we not interfere with Egypt's crusade through Africa and Australia just wants protection in return due to their recent findings of oil. I suggest you go after Mexico or North Korea next to lessen the need for the others to retaliate should something pop off." The president continues to tell them that Mexico is killing all the border patrol police and immigration officers. A syndicate has the mission to kill anyone who is against the immigration so she has to support it and encourage her citizens to do the same.

Halle takes out her cellphone and calls Kiara and tells her the confirmed countries to have death notes- Mexico, North Korea, Egypt. This leaves Australia and Brazil who may or may not have one. She informs them that they will meet up with Mogi and Yamamoto in Mexico since the situation is more dangerous than originally thought. Kiara decides to set up a group of L supporters who are against the death notes being used to kill whoever the owner so chooses. Unlike the previous Kira where criminals and those that defied Kira were punished, now anyone who defies any of the Kiras or are part of their targeted area will die…unfortunately it is hard to tell what Egypt, Brazil and Australia are after for they are no more innocent than North Korea or Mexico. Stephan calls Taro and Lucca and tells them to meet them back at the hotel with all their things backed so they can head to Mexico immediately.

While on the plane, Stephan analyzes the map Lucca made of the patterns of killings. They notice that some of the areas being targeted are those that contain industries that exploit animals to test products on-drugs and make-up, circuses, zoos, labs for social experiments, etc. The trail of killing started in Mexico and spread across the world. They suspect the owner of the death note to be a person who loves animals and may be an animal rights activist. They believe that the immigration may be a distraction for their real goal or part of it in order to find out the names of the people they need to kill.

Everyone on the internet is now anonymous. Even in photos on the internet the faces are blurred out after names and faces were too easily accessed for the previous Kira to carry out his killings. Now, no one no longer wants to be recognized for anything they do, good or bad, with most people going by aliases when on the news, at work and out in public. Children are generally safe until they reach high school in which most transfer to new school so none will know their true name. Some even go as far as to hide most of their face while out in public. They only people who are at high risk of their identity being revealed are criminals with life sentences and those who don't hide their face. The world is become a place of distrust and dishonesty. More than ever are citizens in a country are obeying their leaders and are taking sides with the countries that claim they have death notes. Despite all the efforts to keep the general public out of harm's way, death tolls are skyrocketing to even greater numbers than before. People are ratting out neighbors, co-workers, friends and family who go against "The World Order".

Arriving in Mexico, they meet up with Mogi and Yamamoto who are chilling in Cancun while they had the down time. They also believe that one of the owners is in the area. A major tourist attraction would be the ideal spot to hide out and a beautiful place to relax while one has the world at it mercy. Yamamoto points to a hut with a man and woman inside it-their target. They are not trying to hiding their faces which isn't that suspicious since they are on vacation in a secluded location of Cancun, but Mogi has seen the man talk to himself on several occasions, the woman obsessing over every animal she sees and most importantly him using the death note. Lucca looks at them with his shinigami eyes to see their names.

"Alejandro Rivera and Selena Sosa, those are their names. Shall we kill them?" Lucca asks Taro. Taro and Lucca are standing ways away from the others.

"We should see if they will surrender first." Stephan say to the other adults while he catches eyes with the man who tells the woman something before they make a run for it.

"What? They know?" Halle wonders.

"Their shinigami, Kinddara Guivelostain saw me. They don't know who I am attached to." Belphagor tells them. They choose not to chase them and instead spread out to keep an eye on them. As Mogi and Yamamoto follow them, they know they are being tailed. The woman pulls out a gun and starts shooting in random directions. One bullet flies by Mogi's nose; people in the streets scatter to take cover in nearby building. A shot is fired back at them by Halle who runs on the rooftops. The man talks to the shinigami,

"Which one owns their death note?"

"The boy with the green hair." Pointing at Lucca. Taro had given him ownership for the time being.

"I wonder who set them. Why a child? They really think I wouldn't kill a child, they are sadly mistaken." They continue to run and draw their followers to an abandoned circus tent. This was the first circus targeted when the woman and man began their killing spree. Yamamoto, Mogi and Stephan block the entrances and exits while Halle slowly approaches them. A gun in both hands she points it at them. All of them have their faces concealed as a precaution.

"You see this circus, it used to be a major tourist attraction with great performers-animals and humans-but the humans mistreated the animals, neglect and abuse them. When an animal died from malnutrition or being beat to death for not performing up to par, they were quickly tossed out and replace. Killing animals for not being entertaining enough is despicable. The humans that do that deserved to die."

"We know you have the death note, surrender it to us and we will let you live." Halle aims the gun at his forehead.

"And why should I already know the names of the two boys traveling with you and the one who owns your death note, so I can kill the one boy right now if you don't remove your masks. I already wrote the first name."

"Big mistake." Yamamoto unloads a round of bullets on them, knocking the death note out of his hand and towards Stephan. The man holds his hand as it bleeds.

"You're fighting the wrong person! It's disgusting how humans kill animals for reasons other than survival in dire situations. Animals are being killed for entertainment and recreation; animals are being used to test drugs on that are meant to ensure our survival but not theirs. By putting us in jail only means that you condone this kind of behavior." Selena shouts at them as she steps in front of Alejandro.

"Don't take this personally, but we are not for or against it. We have a mission that doesn't concern you but concerns the shinigami with you." Lucca and Taro had snuck into the tent. Lucca picks up the death note and sees the shinigami, Kinddara Guivelostain. She is a scary looking one with stiches on her head and sharp teeth. Shinigami rank 12 out of 13 who loves to kill and doesn't think too much about anything else. Not much is known about how shinigami are ranked, but she is on the lower end.

"A human has business with me?" She laughs sinisterly. "I should kill you all out of sheer stupidity. Maybe I shall start with your friend"

"Go ahead, kill Taro. Doesn't change the fact that you can't kill me, but I can kill Alejandro with his death note." Lucca holds a pen to one of the clean pages.

"I don't care what happens to this human. If you kill him you get ownership and I can kill you and your friends since Belphagor can't do anything about it."

"True, I am willing to take that risk." He begins to write down a name and as he does Selena charges at Lucca. Kinddara charges at Belphagor knowing that he came to take her back to the shinigami realm. Halle and Mogi shoot at Selena hoping she would back off while Stephan keeps his gun pointed at Alejandro. 30 seconds left. Lucca grabs Taro and they run for an exit. Alejandro shots at Halle with the intent to kill her, but she dodges his bullets and doesn't fire back. 20 seconds left. Kinddara comes at Belphagor with her teeth but he swats her away with his bone staff. He continues to evade her attacks and without thinking of her surroundings she swings her claws. 10 seconds left. Belphagor positions himself behind Selena as she fist fights Mogi and Yamamoto. Kinddara lunges at Belphagor with her hands in the shape of a sharp and long dagger. At the last second Belphagor moves to make Kinddara impale Selena. Time's up. Selena collapses to the ground as Kinddara removes her hand from her back. Her body freezes as it slowly turns to dust. Such a violent shinigami, she wasn't able to contain her rage and accidently kills a human without using her death note. This is considered an extreme level violation and death is immediate. Alejandro is still alive after Lucca failed to write down his name or a name of someone he could picture the face of. Mogi quickly handcuffs Alejandro while Stephan closes Selena's eyes. Lucca couldn't believe that their plan actually worked. Taro and the rest of them feel bad that she had to be a casualty for their plan to work.

They allow Alejandro to give Selena a proper burial before Mogi and Yamamoto escort him to their special prison L built for these criminals in Japan. They leave the death note with Stephan, Halle and the boys and give ownership of both to Taro after Lucca gives back ownership of Belphagor's notebook; their best option is the adults want to keep their cover on future missions. Stephan calls L to get the next order. He instructs them to head to Brazil next to meet up with Sani and Matsuda but orders Halle to go to North Korea to join Aizawa and Ide. L also gives Stephan another order only his ears can hear,

"Stephan, I want you to keep a close eye on both Taro and Lucca. Having one of the active death notes, I have no doubt that they used it. There was a string of criminal killings in Italy weeks ago. I've been looking into Lucca's past after learning from his teacher that he worships Kira which is very concerning. I'll let you know what I find. In the meantime, suggest to them that they keep killing in the same pattern as Alejandro and Selena did to reduce suspicions. Say that you will go to any measure necessary to defeat Kira again. If they readily accept without hesitation I am certain that they have killed before. I want to know if they want to be Kira after all is said and done."

"Understood, L." He hangs up the phone and leaves the bathroom of the hotel room. Sitting on the couch while Taro and Lucca sit on the floor watching TV, he tells them what L wants them to tries to convince Stephan that he won't follow in his father's footsteps, knowing how hard he and their family fought to bring down Kira. Lucca tells him that he is along for the ride being fascinated with the Death Note, shinigami and Kira. Neither tells Stephan about Belphagor, his plans for the world and Taro and Lucca after they die, that Lucca has a fake death note with real pages he continues to kill criminals with- now he has included lawyers who help the guilty avoid jail- and that Lucca has shinigami eyes. They get some rest before their morning flight to Brazil. Stephan sleeps with a smile on his face feeling that their missions may be easier than he initially thought.

Belphagor holds onto the death note Kinddara kept on herself while Taro has the death notes he and Alejandro used. A shinigami's personal death note can never be used by a human so these ones are less threating than the ones Taro possesses. Belphagor knows that the more death notes he possesses of other shinigami, the stronger his power becomes. Having six plus the six Taro and Lucca will obtain for him will rival the King of Death's power, not in the quantity of death notes possesses but the mass of deaths committed: knowing that the energy will be channeled to him and away from the King. Visibly, Belphagor is growing in size.

**Sacrifice**

2004-Wammy House: Winchester, England. The children of Wammy House are receiving personalized education from experts in the fields in which each of the children's talents shine. Some children are highly artistic, some have brains that are prone to absorb math and the sciences, while others focus on business and law. Many of the older residents of the first generation of L successors have become mentor, tutors and like older siblings to the next generation. Avon and Bran were that to Mello and Near. Not surprisingly, they picked up on some of their habits; Avon who loves eating chocolate and who can be very emotional and Bran who generally keeps to himself and likes to play with figurines from Gundam Wing and Transformers. After Avon committed suicide and Bran went M.I.A. earlier this year, Near -who is ten- and Mello-who is 12- are left without mentors.

For Sani, it is winter break when she returns to Wammy House to check in with everyone. Kiara-who is four- is the first one to greet her mother as she walks in the door. She scoops Kiara into her arms and they give each other Eskimo kisses. Roger is leading the children outside for recess as he passes by them. Of the three, Matt's-who's 11- face lights up with a big smile and he shakes Mello by the shoulders causing him to turn around to see her. Matt drags Mello with him to greet Sani. Near hears those two causing a commotion and turns around to see Sani as well. He walks over to her too. She hugs the boys individually and tells them to head outside with the rest while she sends some time with Kiara. After Roger is done escorting the children outside, he joins Sani in Kiara's room.

"How's everything, Rodger? Has Kiara been being a good girl?"

"Of course she has. She is very…headstrong. She's very demanding I guess you can say."

"She knows what she wants, just like her father and I."

"I cannot contest that truth."

"Have you heard from L?"

"Not in a while. Watari said he is working on four cases simultaneously so he is pretty busy. How is school going for you?"

"Stressful. I'm only half way through undergrad and it feels like too much. Things will get better though, but how I wish I had L's brain right now."

"You can always come home. There is plenty of work to do here since Avon and Bran are gone now. Mello and Near need you now more than ever. Kiara is four too and has started real school. I'm sure you can teach a class here even without a degree."

"I thought only experts were allowed to teach here. I will be one someday soon I'm planning and by that time I can teach them when they are of a more mature age. Mello and Near and Kiara will be fine with how things will stay until I finish school."

"Yeah, I had a feeling you'd say that. Can't tell Watari I didn't try."

Sani laughs, "Not as much." Sani joins Kiara on the floor and plays with her. She is building a house for her dolls; most of it is constructed but she needs help with the interior design.

The kids easily get bored the next day; it's a foggy day in Winchester and Roger doesn't want them playing outside where he couldn't see them. Near plays with his toys, Mello reads a book and Matt play videogames while Kiara tries to work on a puzzle of a church with a cemetery. Her focus doesn't last long and soon she throws the puzzle pieces around the room and the boys do nothing to stop her. Sani decides to take Kiara, Mello, Near and Matt on a walk through the streets, trying to find something to do. They pass by a museum they have gone to too many times, a bakery packed with people stoking up on holiday treats and fresh bread, and a playground that was abandoned by all but the snow that covers it. They continue walking until they come to a bridge over a waterway. Some people are ice fishing on the river while others are ice skating or playing hockey.

"Let's do that!" Mello demands knowing that Near has two left feet and hates athletics.

"Be careful on the thin ice!" She yells to them as Mello and Matt jump down the snowy slope. Near rather stay on the snow-cleared bridge than sit on ice. Sani takes Kiara with her to the riverbank and another child offers her an extra sled her family has. Seeing that he can sit and still enjoy time with Sani, Near joins them on the sled. Sani pulls the sled while Near holds onto Kiara. Mello and Matt joined in the hockey game showing their competitive sides when it comes to games. Mello and Matt decided to take on the other six boys rather than being put on different teams. They manage to hold their own with three people trying to blockade them.

As Sani pulls Near and Kiara along the riverbank, she looks around at the scenery while Kiara talks Near's ears off. Sani feel like she hasn't been here before or at least in a long time. Winchester and the places she visited frequently as a child are already becoming foreign places in distance memories. She heads back to where Mello and Matt are playing hockey to see them jumping up and down in their victory dance. Kiara rolls down the hill, picks up some snow, slides across the ice to throw it at them. All the kids join in the snowball fight, even Near who smiles for the first time since Sani arrived. While they play, Sani takes a short walk down the riverside. The fog is trying to subside as the sun peaks from behind the clouds causing small pools of light to brighten the snow in spots. Not far from where the kids are, she looks down the street and views the church-her favorite church from the backside.

In the distance she can see a figure looking at it from the side. Something compels her to walk towards the figure. As she gets close enough to see who it is, it is someone she recognizes-L. He looks at the bell tower of the church. A beam of light perfectly illuminates his face; eye closed he bathes in the sunlight on a cold winter-foggy day.

"Do you hear them, L?" In that beam of light they chime."

"No, they are frozen in time, scared to move, scared to sway from their norm-the hobby that has become a duty. They wait for the command, the use of the skills they a molded for-the next death to dong for." Sani takes L's hand and rest her head on his shoulder. Saying nothing they stare at the church together sitting on the snowy street no one drives down.

"_Who could comprehend the man who had lived his life, and had to live confronting all the lives ended prematurely, the tears of the grief stricken survivors, the devaluing of life as a daily reality. How was it possible to measure the pain of such a man? Was it a strain so heavy that L's back curved under all its weight? Was it an agony so terrible as to leave the indelible dark circles around his eyes? Was it a feeling so bitter that every bite he took needed to be coated in sugar? The chronically rounded shoulders, the inevitable dark circles, the eccentric tastes-L suppressed the pain of being a champion of justice, but the evidence of the pain was molded into his very body."- L: Change the World_

Sani wakes up to find L is gone or rather that he was not there to begin with. A phantom who comes and gone out of her life. She lies in the snow and makes a snow angel on the side of the church. In the distance, she hears the kids calling to her. She sits up to see them running towards her. They laugh as she is covered in snow from head to foot, but then notice the snow angel. Kiara falls beside her mother and makes one too. The boys decide to build a snowman to accompany their angels. Sani gets up and picks up Kiara as they look at the boy's creation, smiling she suggests they head home. As they walk home the fog rapidly disperses and suddenly the sun was shining everywhere as the evening sun gave a great orange glow to the snow and a bit of warmth to the cold wind that blows the shimmering snow around.

When they get home, they strip off all their clothes besides their underwear and throw them into the washing machine. They take hot showers to warm their bodies back up and get into their winter themed pajamas. Matt has ones with videogame characters on it dressed in Christmas clothes, Mello has one with candy on it while Near's has snowflakes and Kiara has mistletoes. Somehow they all manage to fit in her queen sized bed that night. She can see that they are tired from their outdoor activities; Kiara keeps nodding off but tries to stay awake with the boys. Deciding not to bore them with a story, she decides to sing them a song to make their dreams tonight good ones. She sings to them as if they are much younger than they are, but despite their age they still enjoy it.

"Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, there's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby." She strokes Kiara's head as Kiara mumbles the next verse.

"Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true." She sucks on her thumb and closes her eyes.

"That's right, Kiara."

"Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me." Matt tries to sings but just says it instead.

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, high above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me. Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly." She hugs the boys and Kiara closer indicating that they are blue birds. "Birds fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why can't I?" She continues to hum the song until they fall asleep.

"If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh why can't I?" L finishes the song from the hallway as he drifts to sleep in his iconic sitting position. He doesn't sleep for long though and is gone by morning after kissing both Sani and Kiara on the forehead.

In the years following, Kiara became closer and closer with Matt, Mello and Near. Mello and Matt become especially attached to Sani and Matt even develops a crush on Kiara after seeing no hope in having a relationship with her mom. Kiara is turned off by Matt liking her mom more but she also wonders why boys tend to have an Oedipus complex and did he have a big one. After L died, he made it his job for her not to have another lover in her life telling her that her daughter's and sons' love are enough. For a while she stayed single, but eventually she started to date again.

Kiara paces around the hotel room, fiddling with a locket on her chest. Inside it is the only picture she took with her father when she was six. She opens and closes it repeatedly as she studies L's notes on the recent killings in Australia. Unlike the others, there seems to be less of a pattern. She feels like they are more coincidences than anything. Ryuk floats upside down while eating a juicy red apple; very loudly he smacks his lips and bites into it allowing Kiara to hear ever crunch which is driving Kiara crazy.

"Ryuk, I am trying to concentrate. Don't make me take away all the apples in his hotel room!" She scolds him as if he was a human and a child, both of which he is far from.

"So demanding; you're like Light, not afraid of telling a shinigami what to do."

"Don't ever compare me to that monster!"

"And yet you did it again; very bold of you." Kiara gives him a death glare and tenses up her face.

"Have you concluded anything yet, Kiara?" Near asks.

"All I am getting is that someone is playing with human lives randomly. The murders may be connected, deaths may have been manipulated, but it seems that this owner doesn't have a vendetta. Most of the murders are centered in a red light district know for much gambling, prostitution and criminal activity."

"Let us begin our search there then." He puts on a plain white t-shirt and plaid-blue pajamas pants. Kiara shakes her head in disappointment seeing that he will never but on normal clothes even when he is four years shy of thirty years old.

Being night time they choose the perfect time to do a stakeout of the red light district when activity is extremely high. They walk through the streets of Sydney with the backdrop of the opera house in the distance. Men whistle at Kiara who isn't wearing anything too revealing; a simple yellow shirt that ties around the neck with a white jacket over it to hide the laced back and white Bermuda shorts. Near follows closely behind her but not too closely so people won't think they are together.

Kiara spots a prostitute talking to herself as she looks around in the crowd. Not seeming suspicious at first because she is probably just looking her net customer, but suspicion grows as she pulls out a thin black note book with white writing on the cover and heads into a nearby hotel. Kiara decides to follow her. The prostitute takes the elevator to the sixth floor and heads into the normally feared room, 666. Kiara breaks into the room next to it and luckily no one is using the room. She listens through the wall.

"What do you mean my death note doesn't work?"

"When I tried to use it the other day it just stopped working. I wrote down a pimp's name and he didn't die and he took all the money I won at the casino too." She says with her hands folded while pouting.

"I don't understand why it would stop working. I can still kill humans with mine though, so I guess I'll do the killing for you until I can figure out what happened."

Kiara knows exactly what happened, the death note the prostitute has was working before Ryuk returned to the human world. With his return he reactivated the first death note to be bought into the human world causing the prostitute's to become inactive. That's the conclusion Kiara comes up with anyways.

"So annoying but I guess you can kill him for me so I can get back my money. I need that money if I want to bribe The States and Canada for resources. Australia will become a world power and won't be viewed as a weak country with the threat of World War III."

"Out of all the countries on this planet I'd say Australia is the most innocent. Your people deserve to live though this war. Maybe live in a world with us shinigami-here on earth."

"You'd like that wouldn't you." She walks over to him and rests her head on his chest". For a shinigami, Zellogi you don't look that scary. You're not all bones either." The prostitute says as she runs her pointer finger in a circle around his chest. He touches her lower back with his non-hook hand.

"Your skin is really soft. I like soft things. Everything in the shinigami realm is so hard."

"Oh, you like soft things. I have something even softer you can touch." She lifts up her leg up the side of his body where his hook hand is. She walks sultry to the bed in the hotel room and gestures him to come and get her. He lies next to her thinking she wants him to sleep with her in the literal sense. She laughs and rolls her eyes as she climb on top of him.

"Touch me anywhere, I'm soft all over." She tells him as she unhooks her bra, tosses it to the floor and rubs her body on his. Zellogi doesn't know what to do, but he likes how she feels.

Zellogi is a shinigami that is rank 5 of 13 making him one of the higher ranked ones. He likes soft things but hates humidity, so he enjoys the dry heat of Australia. He has killed many humans and has little empathy for them, but he does have a soft spot for this prostitute. He is one of the more intelligent ones, but right now his mind is compromised by his desire to feel soft things. He knows shinigami can't reproduce with humans so he doesn't fear getting her pregnant, but he does know that shinigami have never engaged in sexual activity before. Seeing little harm, he gives in. As he gets on top of her and thrusts his hips he fails to notice that his extended tail bone is impaling her through her back. When he finally notices, she is already dead from blood loss.

"Shinigami are not permitted to have sex with each other or humans. And what's worse, he killed the human in the process." Ryuk says to Kiara from behind as he appears out of nowhere. She jumps up and would have hit Ryuk's face if he hadn't allowed her to phase through him.

"Geesh, Ryuk, don't scare me like that!"

"There you go again." She rolls her eyes and breaks down the door to retrieve the death notes. A pile of sand covers the woman's body that's wrapped in blankets. The death notes stick out of the pile of sand. Kiara takes both and meets up with Near who is gambling with some local thugs. She pulls him away from the game he was about to win and loses the money he had put in the pot-only twenty bucks. She gives Near the death notes and tells him that it is the inactive one. L calls the rest of his team to inform them that the ones in Egypt, Brazil and North Korea are real and for them to take every precaution possible-necessary or not. Kiara and Near head back to Japan to deal with the criminal Mogi and Yamamoto brought back from Mexico. He orders Sani to return to Japan from Brazil to watch over the prisoner with him and Kiara while sending Yamamoto to North Kores with Halle to join Ide and Aizawa. Matsuda waits in Brazil for Stephan's arrival.

January 25th, 2013: a month after Christmas, three days before Light is to be discovered as being Kira, three days before his death. Sani and Kiara put away the groceries they just bought from the market. Late night grocery shopping is always the less stressful option to avoid dealing with crazy housewives fighting over food that is on sale-of course that means that they essential get the leftovers. Kiara turns on the TV to have some noise in the eerily quiet house. Kiara is fond of her new home though, it's a Spanish villa styled house in the middle of Japan having a beautiful garden surrounding the house and a balcony facing the backyard that overlooks a giant fountain; a backyard equipped with a pool to swim in, chairs to lunge in, a minibar to drink at and chess table to stimulate the brain while outdoors.

While Sani is watching TV and Kiara is in the shower, the doorbell rings. Expecting someone else to be at the door she is surprised to see Mello and Matt. Mello's face is hidden in shadow due to the hood covering most of his face, while Matt has his sunglasses on, eyes glued to a portable videogame.

"Near was right. He told me that you'd probably pay me a visit soon. What are you up to now?" She opens the door and gestures them to come inside. Matt sits on the couch trying to finish his videogame. Mello pulls down his hood exposing the huge scar on his face.

'What happened to you, Mello?"

"When I left Wammy House, I joined the Mafia in California determined to catch Kira before Near does. With their help I was able to steal the death note in the Japanese Task Force's possession only to have it taken back by your uncle, Soichiro Yagami. I wish he hadn't threatened my life and put his life on the line. Somehow he knew my name…those eyes maybe." He takes a bite of his chocolate bar and talks with it sticking out of his mouth.

"After one of the mafia men shot him, I knew I couldn't save him. To escape I blew up our hideout and left empty handed but with a scar filled face. I'm sorry for your uncle, Sani. I never anticipated him to retaliate. I'm sorry for Sayu too; I heard she wasn't doing too well mentally."

"It's not your fault, Mello. I'm sure Light manipulated the situation. Don't blame yourself for his death. As for Sayu, she will recover but I don't know how long it will take."

"That makes me feel somewhat better, but that's not why we came here to talk to you. Matt and I wanted to say goodbye." Matt's hands stop moving but the videogame keeps going on without him.

"Goodbye? I don't understand."

"We already informed Halle about our plan. The whole case can be resolved if a name is written in the Death Note." Matt starts with. Kiara come down the stairs recognizing their voices.

"Yes, we plan on kidnapping Kiyomi Takada to force Kira and the second Kira to act in order to reveal the location of the real death note. This way, Gevanni can tamper with it, Near can confront Kira and bring him to justice. L won't die in vain." Kiara grips her locket tightly as she holds back her anger, her sadness, her frustration. Matt walks over to her and hugs her firmly.

"No more…I don't want anyone else to die." Kiara buries her head into Matt's chest, hugging him back tightly causing his shirt to become wet from tears.

"Live action fight to the death is a perfect way to go in my book." He tells Kiara and Sani as he comforts Kiara by rubbing her back.

"Matt, who are you kidding, you know you won't fight. When they catch you, you'll just surrender."

"Hey, you have to choose your battle wisely if you want to live another day." Sani pulls Mello into her chest. He refuses to cry accepting his fate knowing he will sacrifice his inferiority complex, his unwillingness to work with Near and his life to bring an end to Kira's terror. Sani insists that they stay the night, eat a good meal, take a warm shower and get a good night's sleep in the home of their family. Her house has five bedrooms, so they can all sleep in their own beds if they so choose but Matt and Mello sleep in Kiara's room.

Sani is still waiting for one more visitor, so she stays downstairs. She turns off most of the lights and lights some candles and the fireplace. She plays Clair De Lune on the piano in her living room and sings words to it she heard from one of Matt's videogames called Rain. She plays and sings loud enough knowing that Kiara, Mello and Matt are listening upstairs, singing them to sleep like the good old days.

"Been wandering 'round…lost in this night. Like a stranger I walk alone through a cold and empty world; where the rain whispers to my heart and the moon light shows me the way." Ironically it starts raining outside, but it is gentle. A weird warming of weather in late January.

"Scared to move, fade away, sinking to find a light that once was mine. Where raindrops fall, where moonlight knows they are guiding me to your place." The moon is full tonight and it shines though the window on the other side of the room.

"I'll always be by your side; you bring joy to this night. Take my hand now we'll find a path. When the rain stops we know there'll be a rainbow. Where raindrops fall…fall." Tears runs down her face onto the piano as she uses it as a crutch.

The next day, Matt and Mello carry out their plan. Matt launches a smoke bomb from his car to make her security panic. Halle escorts Kiyomi Takada to a motorcycle telling her she need to get away fast. Mello is the motorcycle driver and kidnaps her while Matt draws her security team away from them. Mello manages to steal a delivery truck and drives it to an abandoned-ruined church with Kiyomi in the back. As expected Light orders her to kill Mello and he dies of a heart attack.

When he confirms with her that he is dead, Light uses a torn piece of the Death Note to kill Kiyomi by suicide. When Light and the rest of the task force arrive to their location, the truck and church were consumed in flames, burning the torn piece of death note paper Kiyomi used to kill Mello-Mihael Keehl. Unknown to Light, Teru Mikami thought he couldn't act, strayed away from him obsessive routine and went to his safety deposit box to kill Kiyomi too; revealing the location of the real death note. As for Matt, his death was more painful and prolonged than a heart attack. When Kiyomi's security team surrounded him he stepped out of his car believing that they would take him in for questioning, but he was wrong. With his hands up they shoot him without mercy. He falls onto his car and slides down it into a pool of his own blood. Using his last breath to smoke his cigarette one last time, it falls on his bloodstained coat and it catches fire.

Everyone watches as he burnt to death on live TV- reinforcing to the public that Kira's will is absolute and those that challenge him will pay with their life. She buried her mother, buried her fiancé, buried her uncle, buried her grandfather and now she buries two of her sons-both coffins full of ashes.

**Origin**

Leaving Matsuda in Brazil to wait for Stephan and the boys by himself, she makes it to Japan around the same time Kiara and Near do. When she meets up with them at headquarter, Near is questioning Alejandro to figure out his motives and maybe even the motives of the other death note owners. He is very uncooperative though, still filled with rage over the death of his girlfriend. Easily getting annoyed by his unresponsiveness, Near lets Kiara interrogate him, but she doesn't get much more information. Mogi and Yamamoto sit back and let L and Kiara do what they do best; both are still recovering from the long flight anyways.

"Has he said anything that could be of use?" Sani asks.

"Not much, all he said is that we were a bunch of animals for using his girlfriend to kill the shinigami and that we are not the kind of animals he was trying to save with the death note. He's useless." Kiara responds.

"Alejandro is it? I'm sure you used people to get the things you wanted and you killed those who stood in your way. I'm sure those people were probably someone's father or mother, sister or brother, son or daughter, boyfriend or girlfriend to someone," She grabs him by the shirt. "So don't pretend you are innocent when it comes to the death of your girlfriend, you are as much to blame as we are and she was. You are no better than the people who exploit those animals and you are no better than any other human on this earth, so I advise you to start talking before my patience runs out." She threatens as she opens the window to the side of her.

"Ah! Ok, ok what do you want to know?"

"Were there other people working with you?" Near asks calmly for the hundredth time.

"At first Selena and I were just trying to help our families immigrate to the States without border patrol being in the way and the public blew the incident out of proportion saying that Kira has returned and will punish those who have no empathy for immigrants. I used that as a distraction for Selena's main purpose of using the death note: to protect the earth's animals from extinction."

"You still haven't answered L's question." Kiara reminds him as Sani pulls him towards the window.

"I'm not done yet! When the other death note owners caught wind of there being more than one Kira their syndicates found Selena and I and gave us the option of joining their cause or die."

"The World Order?" L remembers what the public is calling the new Kiras.

"If that's what they are called. They want to start WWIII in order to wipe out all the 'tainted ones'."

"And the shinigami want to make our world another shinigami realm that has all the human pleasures their world fails to have." Kiara informs the rest reminding herself of the conversation she overheard between Zellogi and the prostitute.

"Who are the 'tainted ones'?" Near asks.

"That I do not know. I do know they all have alternative motives other than the major requests of their country's citizens."

Near thinks of all the reports he has read and heard over the past few months. He goes through all the threats each of the countries have made to other countries and how they might be carrying them out in secrecy. He brainstorms out loud,

"Brazil wants to punish the greedy and help the less fortunate by spreading a new religion or ideology, North Korea wants to destroy the United States by bombing it and Egypt wants to reform the Middle East by force by raising an army of Africans. What other problems would they have with the Middle East, the United States and the first "world countries?"

"Many. Food and clean water, riches and debt, oil and other natural resources, disease and medicine, democracy and dictatorship, revenge from past civil war interventions…the list goes on L." Kiara rattles off.

"Then I make it your job to investigate death related to each of those topics. Find any connects you can, any trends you can find that would fit with each country's motivations as soon as you can so we can relay this information to my agents." He says as he twirls his finger around the ends of his hair above his ears.

"Thank you, Alejandro."

Sani lets go of his shirt as Mogi takes him to a solitary confinement room. Kiara starts researching leads on the giant main computer in headquarters while L watches Yamamoto cook dinner. Sani drags her suitcase to one of the open rooms and tosses it on one side of the bed while she falls down onto the other side facedown. As she is lying there she feels something fall onto her back. Refusing to turn over she feels for the item with her hand. The item feels like a notebook but it is smaller and thicker. She grabs it and pulls it towards her face. She reads the title: "The System; Earth and Space". She sits up and opens it to see illustrations of the solar system and the planets that inhabit this galaxy. Thinking it is a mini-textbook at first, she turns the pages to see a more storybook aspect to it; seeing the earth and its origin from the existence of bacteria to plants to animals to humans.

"Near, did you want me to read this?" She asks as she turns around to see Ryuk standing behind her instead of Near.

"No, the King of Death wanted you to. Light and I received it and the King gave it to me to give to you. This is the only reason why I am helping you save mankind."

"The King of Death, I feel flattered." She says as she bats her eyes and places her hand on her heart. Ryuk sits on the bed next to her as she scooches away-a bed length's distance away. She opens the book and begins to read, intrigued by the foreign yet familiar nature of the book.

"The source of all life is Earth; every non-living thing on the planet is one being." A picture of the earth with streams of light cover its surface carrying rocks, water, air and fire in its path.

"Earth formed billions of years ago; plants, animals and humans were created much later in its life, causing a threat to Earth by stealing its energy." An illustration of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with plants and animals absorb light from Earth.

"Earth sends out diseases to control the population growth. Humans, however, became more resistant and avoided death thus their population becoming too enormous for the Earth to handle." Bacteria and viruses' energy being harnessed by humans as they draw more energy from Earth is the next drawing.

"Earth reached out to a human who could control their population by becoming a messiah. This person causes a great schism in the human population in which religion is born causing a new kind of war and fluctuations in populations." A stream of light shines upon a human with no face: no gender, race or other indication to who this person was.

"Making this human the King of Death, He as humans called It was granted the power to kill any human but this power came with limitations. He was only allowed to kill to lengthen his life and keep the populations steady throughout time." Chains wrap around the King of Death who is nothing but a ball of bones and a skull for a face.

"He was given a Death Note, channeling energy away from humans and Space to Earth and to the King of Death." An hourglass is filled with the energy of humans on the top and Earth and the King of Death on the bottom.

"A small piece of Earth becomes the Shinigami Realm that lies in the skies above the human world." A stark land lies invisible in the sky, appearing to humans as the moon.

"The King recruits others to help him and calls them Shinigami and with each new Shinigami, the King of Death loses energy to that shinigami." Bones from the King of Death become shinigami, humans who love to kill. Chains stretch out from him and to the shinigami.

"Great penalty comes to those who use the death note to lengthen the life of a human because that would mess up "The System". When this happens, the Shinigami turns into sand and returns to Earth as energy." A shinigami is a pile of sand in the human portion of the hourglass, pouring into the bottom.

"Without the energy, Earth will lose to Space, taking all the energy from shinigami and it will eventually crumble away." Light bursts out of Earth as it cracks and floats into Space, becoming nothing but rocks floating around the planets of the Solar System whose lights are shinning on.

Sani stares at the last page, processing what she just read. Ryuk was floating behind her as she read; looking at the illustrations in the book he had never paid attention to before- he wonders who drew them. Baffled, he lifts the book out of Sani's hands to examine it closer. Sani is curious too, thinking that this was the workings of Space- something too grand for humans to comprehend.

"So you shinigami live to kill humans, us humans need Earth to live, while our existence is killing Earth, and Earth uses you shinigami to live and will kill them if they mess up 'The System'. So in other words, if Earth seizes to exist there will be no more shinigami or human world. But if humans die, the Earth can live but the shinigami and the King will die. So in essence you're only helping us because you're afraid to die too…right?"

"Maybe the King of Death is, but I rather live in the shinigami world watching endless entertainment from you humans from afar or even up close. If you humans die, there goes my entertainment. If this war goes to the end, the King won't think Earth will withstand the damage. The shinigami fail to realize that."

Ryuk hands Sani the book as she walks over to the window. Staring, outside is a city full of lights and life has a dark cloud hanging overhead. The sound of car horns blowing is carried in the wind with the sounds of train breaks screeching, boats sloshing through waves and airplane engines roaring overhead. She can see people walking through the streets going somewhere only known to them; some walk alone, some in groups while some sit on the sidewalk looking down at the ground or up at the sky.

"Hey, Ryuk. Do you think humans know? Do you think we look at the moon to get a glimpse of the place we wish we could go? Looking at the ground hoping we will be more than the dirt under the living's feet when we die…dreaming of a paradise for the pure and an inferno for the sinners knowing it's all a lie. Why must Earth sustain the very thing that's causing it to die? It's stuck in a system with no loose ties. The noose we hang ourselves by gets tighter and tighter every day and we have no one but ourselves to blame. I only wish my children's generation realizes this; that is all I pray…for them to find that inner spark-life through a collective flame."

"That I do not know. You humans were divided long before your 'Messiah' came along." He says as he eats an apple he had has in the death note holder on his leg.

"I have a feeling you'd say that."

"You won't have to worry about it though; your time is almost up…maybe that's why the King wanted you to read the book. You don't have much time to change the world; but you're the only one who can."

Suddenly an alarm sounds off causing Sani to cover her ears and Ryuk's body to get a shiver. Near was listening to the conversation for the hallway while eating a snack to give him brain power; Yamamoto had left the baked chicken in the oven for too long allowing the smell to creep into the ventilation system and the fire alarm to go off. With fire extinguisher in hand, he battles the small fire while Mogi waves a towel over the closest smoke detector to relieve all of it annoying ringing. Kiara can't help herself and dumps a big bucket of water on the fire and opens all the windows to air out their "house". Sani and Ryuk come out of the bedroom to see all the chaos going on and Near laughing at it all. Near informs Sani that he will send Kiara and Mogi to Egypt to start a thorough investigation and instructs Sani and Yamamoto to stay here with him as more death note owners are captured.

Meanwhile, Stephan's plane touches down in Brazil and on the runway is a limo waiting for him and the boys and out steps Matsuda; he views this assignment as a vacation opportunity. Taro eyes light up as he sees the wondrous city of São Paulo: the largest city in Brazil; city that is a major economic center of the southern hemisphere having the largest economy and home to two stock exchanges. The city is rich with political and cultural influences nationally and internationally with many museums and memorials as well as hosting events like the Brazilian Grand Prix, a fashion week, art biennial and the world's largest gay parade. This is the week of the grand prix and Matsuda intends on having front row seats to tone of this city's biggest events. Dressed in a sharp suit and tie, he hurries Stephan and the boys to the hotel so they can shower and change into more proper attire for such an event. The boys know that a t-shirt, shorts and sneakers should suffice since this is a high speed sporting event with fast vehicles and not horses carrying the weight of their fancy jockeys. Matsuda informs Stephan that he has been tailing this woman who seems to be from new money so not many know much about her past or what business she makes her money from.

"She's suspicious because when she started infiltrating the elite class of the city, some of them have been killed. Oddly enough though, it is no one she has communicated with, but the rivals of the victims are still alive."

"Meaning that she is getting the inside scoop on these high rollers and is killing them off in a way that would lead other to think their rivals did it." Stephan concludes.

"The target's name is, Juliana Dulce. Many believe she made her riches in the food industry- succulent sweets in particular." He pulls up a website to the homepage of sweets shop called Succulent Sweets. "A major portion of their proceeds goes to worldwide hunger relief efforts."

"Steal from the rich, give to the poor." Lucca says to them remembering one of the demands of Brazil.

"Sounds like our woman then! Let's get her." Taro throws a water bottle and a tourist guidebook to Brazil he was given at the airport in his backpack as he and Lucca walk to the door.

"Hey, hold on. Who said you kids were coming with us? You two need to stay at the hotel." Matsuda demands.

"Yeah I agree with Matsuda, it can get pretty crazy here, especially with an event of this size going on. If we need you or Belphagor's help we will let you know." Stephan tells the boys as he escorts them back to the couch and away from the door.

"Besides there is plenty to do around here; a pool, an arcade room, a gym, a sauna, a nightclub for kids, plenty. Enjoy your vacation while we are working."

"Working…attending lavish parties and driving around in a limo sounds like a lot of work to me."

"Hey, you got to play the part of a high roller to catch a high roller." Matsuda puts on his shades and pops his collar. "You're just bitter because you missed all the fun." He claims as he tilts his sunglasses down and winks at him. Stephan rolls his eyes as he heads out the suite.

Heading to the racetrack, they walk through streets filled with entertainers, artists, musicians, merchants, food vendors, tourists and locals. Every day since Matsuda arrived in Sao Paulo it has been one big long and grand festival. He is already becoming familiar with some of the locals and tourist at and around the hotel he is staying at; a Japanese immigrant who owns his own noddle shop, a Brazilian woman who runs a beauty salon, an African man who's a fisherman and a Portuguese man who sells fine jewelry. These four people are not only very charismatic and knowledgeable about their crafts, but they are well known gossipers and not as well known-excellent sources for criminal activity in the city. They know the inside scoop of everyone who comes and goes from the city everyday by placing their people among all groups residents and visitors. The Portuguese man who sells the fine jewelry goes by: "P".

He was part of the first generation of L successors. Currently on the third generation, the first two generations are young adults or well into adulthood and have spread out all over the world-all 48 of them take away a few that have been killed, died or committed suicide. Matsuda admits that e was doing most of the work narrowing down the suspect list as more elites were killed while other stayed alive. Juliana was very kind to the fisherman who would give orphans food free of charge and the beauty shop owner who'd give them free hair washes, but she would glare at P ad the Japanese man for reprimanding the orphans who attempted to steals their goods. Luckily for those two they always wore sunglasses and sunhats.

P is accompanying Matsuda and Stephan to the grand prix and an after party at his residence. They sit not too far away from Juliana who sits with some big named people of the food industry of Brazil and other foreign countries.

"She is going to try to make a deal with them tonight at my party. If one or more doesn't agree and they end up dead, I think it is safe to say that she is our girl and needs to be taken in. " P thinks.

"But the shinigami, how will we know where it is and how to kill it before it kills us?" Matsuda whispers to Stephan.

"We need Belphagor to come with us. We need him to lure the shinigami away." Stephan calls Taro to let him know the plan.

That night at P's mansion, the three men keep their distance from each other as they stakeout the party. Taro and Lucca snuck in with Belphagor who floats around the party looking for a shinigami. P surrounds himself with the prettiest women guest he can find, Stephan hangs around the bar starting conversations with anyone who sits down and Matsuda by the pool with a golddigger who believes he has a fortune. Taro and Lucca hide by the pool house waiting for Belphagor to give them the signal to move in; they have come up with a plan of their own to deal with the shinigami. Seeing Juliana, Belphagor sees that she owns a death note by not being able to see her lifespan, also seeing that her name is Juliana Guicy and not Juliana Dulce; either would be a good name for a seller of sweets. Flying overhead, he spots a shinigami in the fruit fields behind P's mansion. Getting closer, he is able to identify the shinigami as Calikarcha.

Calikarcha is a shinigami with multiple eyes that go up the sides of his face-eight eyes to be exact, but he is missing two. A shinigami who kills on occasion who isn't very smart, curious or takes much action he has a rank of 11/13. He does go down to the human world frequently to taste the sweetest fruit he loves-no, not apples but blueberries-but only at night because he hates sunlight. Right now he is stuffing his face with blueberries while his owner is inside the mansion. Belphagor couldn't help but to laugh at him for having blue stains on his skull.

"Calikarcha, you look pitiful. You're just as bad as Ryuk with apples, no worse." He turns to Belphagor and wipes his mouth.

"They are so good though. I want to try the apples next and then chocolate, Sidoh said chocolate was really good." He tells him as he begins searching for apples.

"Hey, two of your eyes are missing. You didn't give them to a human, did you when you made the eye deal or to a newborn?"

"Ha, what are you talking about? You're such a newbie. Every shinigami knows that the eyes are granted by the death note. The humans that are born with the eyes are the descendants of a human whose shinigami died and their death notes lay unclaimed in the human world."  
"So those born with the eyes in a sense own a death note?"

"Yes, that human took ownership over the shinigami's death note when it died and when that human died it was passed on to the next of kin since their wills include all their possessions."

"Well thanks for the information; I'll keep that in mind when I encounter such a human. So where are your eyes then?"

"Let's just say that the King got very mad at me for one little mistake many, many years ago." Belphagor smirks as he has stolen two more of them without him noticing.

"Makes sense since a shinigami's eye is the single most important thing we have. Without them we couldn't kill humans! Lucca , Taro now!" A blinding light illuminates the fruit fields and Calikarcha screams.

"Ah, what the hell is this, Belphagor!" He yells as he closes his eyes.

"I have some humans who want your eyes."

Taking his bone staff and starts pounding at his skull, breaking it to expose the many eyeballs it contains. Taro runs to them with a bag and puts the eyeballs in them as Belphgor tears them out their sockets. Calikarcha claws at Belphagor but he doesn't let up on his attack. Kicking him away, he runs through the fields blindly. Lucca keeps the light on him for Belphagor to follow him. He only has three eyes left intact. The guest notice the light and rush to the front yard thinking they are under attack and/or the police has come to bust many of the guest with dirty money. However, P runs towards the light with Matsuda while Stephan tracks Juliana who is sneaking her way to the backyard with some of the more curious party guests.

"Where is he, Lucca?" Taro texts Lucca.

"I lost him, do you see Belphagor?"

"No…oh wait look up!" The shinigami have taken flight, Calikarcha only has one eye left and uses it to see where he is going.

"What is he running from?" Juliana is confused to what is going on. She is trying to follow him by foot.

"Juliana, we know you have the notebook, hand it over and we shall spare you!" Lucca announces using a megaphone he found in the pool house. P and Matsuda slowly close in on Juliana as she tries to find the source of the voice. She plows through bushes of fruits and follows the light.

"Confirmed, she has the notebook in hand. Take her down before she finds Lucca." Stephan tells Matsuda when they cross paths.

"I'm on it!"

"Where's P?"

Matsuda points to the sky to see a helicopter approaching; P and the fisherman who is also a pilot search for Juliana by arm, ready to take her down. The light that Lucca is operating and the light form the helicopter eventually focus on one spot; Juliana has come face-to-face with Taro as Belphagor and Calikarcha stand behind their respective human.

"Give me back my eyes, Belphagor!"  
"Nah, I think we will hold on to them for a while." He response as he tosses one up and down from his hand.

"What do you want, kid? Why do you stand in my way?" Juliana has a pen in one hand and her death note in the other.

"You're death note will be mine, there will be only one Kira in this world and that is I, the chosen one. You and your shinigami are making a mess of things, prompting more bloodshed than necessary. You are causing this world to rot, you and the people you killed."

"Just because you are a kid, you are far from pure. You will grow up and become like the people you kill to protect yourself. Do you really think the others won't kill you just because you are a kid…you're giving them more of a reason to because you are the future, the future we don't want!" She pulls out a gun and aims it at him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Belphagor is the only one who can kill me and if you kill me, he can kill you and finish off your shinigami."

"You're right, but I can kill your friend!"

She shoots past him at Stephan hiding in the bushes, he get hit in the shoulder as the bullet grazes Taro's cheek. Matsuda shot at Juliana hitting her mask off her face. Lucca was hiding in the bushes too, waiting to see her face.

"Write it, Juliana Guisy!" Lucca tells Taro as he tackles her and knocks the gun away. Taro starts to write the name as Belphagor attacks Calikarcha stealing his last eyeball.

"Sorry, Calikarcha, but you served your purpose and now you are nothing without your eyes." Belphagor holds his last eye in his hand as Calikarcha turns into sand.

"Don't write it, Taro! We need to take her back to headquarters!" Matsuda commands as he runs to Stephan who is putting pressure on his shoulder.

"I know, I didn't write it." He shows him the page. Lucca grabs Juliana's gun and dismantles it

P and the fisherman handcuff her and bring her back to the hotel with the boys while Matsuda takes Stephan to the hospital. Lucca puts the death notes with the other two from Mexico. Taro sits on the couch ready to go to the next country, hoping that Stephan is okay too. The hotel phone rings and Taro picks it up.  
"Hello?"

"Is this Stephan or Matsuda?" the female voice says.

"No, this is Taro. How is this?"

"Taro! Oh my God, your voice sounds so different on the phone! I know it isn't dropping already."

"Kiara?"

"You got it, little brother! Well since you picked up, mom says you and Lucca need to stay at headquarters with her and L. She doesn't want you two in Egypt and North Korea." In the background he hears his mother ask for the phone.

"Taro, how are you sweetie?" Her reply was the dial tone of the phone being hung up. Lucca sees that Taro is mad about something.

"Who was that?"

"My mother."

"You don't like her?"

"I hate her. She led my father-Kira to his death."


End file.
